Villanelle / Eve by Fingerless
Eve:"If you sleep with more than 2 pillows you’re a psychopath."
Villanelle:"A comfortable psychopath."
During the initial lockdowns of early 2020, Marc Cheeseman (of Fingerless) started writing a song about Villanelle - one of the main protagonists of the wildly successful BBC America series Killing Eve.
From what started out as a cathartic exercise, exploring the antiheroine Villanelle’s particular brand of laissez-faire and belligerent individualism, has developed into a bona fide release on 7” vinyl.
When it became apparent the show’s 4th (and final) season would be delayed due to COVID, it gave Cheeseman some time to think about what to do with the track. After showing it to the band’s label, 4000 Records, they had the idea to do a collaborative release with label-mate Cloud Tangle, an equally enamoured fan of the show.
The result is a wonderfully balanced split release, with Fingerless’ ‘Villanelle’ steeped in foreboding, alluring synths as an almost possessed Cheeseman chants the song’s namesake.
Cloud Tangle’s ‘Eve’ on the other hand is a tale of longing and discombobulation. Ramsay’s hypnotic, ethereal siren song laments, “I’m tied to you / I can’t let you go”.
“For me, this song is about freedom from social norms,” says Cheeseman. “The line ‘I don’t want to perform for anybody’ (from the song) is not about performing music, it’s about performing an identity. Villanelle straight up doesn’t give a fuck about what people want or expect her to do. It may cause her a lot of problems, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She is free."
“Eve radiates a contrasting softness, the underbelly of her character,” says Ramsay. “There’s a ferocity and drive enveloping around this softness of collapsing into the chase of her desires, yet still masked by angst and zeal."
Tracklist
| 1. | Fingerless - Villanelle | 3:35 |
| 2. | Cloud Tangle - Eve | 2:43 |
Credits
'Villanelle'
Written and Recorded by Marc Cheeseman
Performed by Fingerless
Mixed by Darek Mudge
Mastered by Matthew Grey Mastering
'Eve'
Written, Recorded, Mixed and Performed by Amber Ramsay
Mastered by Matthew Grey Mastering
License
All rights reserved.
Fingerless have been sitting down at the banquet since 2009, sampling small plates of acid-folk in oyster sauce, deep-fried rock ‘n’ roll, steamy soundscapes, dried and salted neo-psychedelia and fresh electronica.
Washed down with an ice cold medieval folk ballad and maybe a dungeon-synth liqueur or two, the Meanjin based band can’t quite put their finger on their favourite flavour just yet.