Lex Gray - Pearls 7"
Lex Gray - Pearls 7"
Love's Devotee (LOVED-001), 2023, US
This 7" is a double debut: the first physical release of music by Vancouver-based songwriter and vocalist Lex Gray and the first release from the new label Love's Devotee, based in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. "Pearls" is Gray's take on the Sade classic from their 1992 Love Deluxe album, a particularly heart-rending interpretation that serves as a showcase of the artist's vocal prowess atop a bed of dour electronic keyboard and sparing washes of violin. On the flip, "Bionic" is an erotic, futuristic blues track with lyrics delivered from a femme-cyborg perspective, this version an alternate, stripped-down mix from the track on the artist's forthcoming EP.
The result of largely improvisational and exploratory 2022 recording sessions at Vancouver's Helm Studios with producer Joshua Eastman—and mastered by Brock McFarlane at CPS Mastering—this 7" gives new listeners their first exposure to Lex Gray's beautifully dusky vocals, poetic lyrical style and two variations of her genre-agnostic sensibility. While these two tracks represent a downbeat, soulful and sparse style, they contrast with other of Lex Gray's recordings which fall into electronic or rock genres. Yet all are delivered with a punk-poetic approach, with real-life experiences forming the background of her songs of yearning, desire and contemplation.
This black vinyl edition is limited to 250 copies. Additionally, there is a limited artist edition: a single-sided, clear, 7" square, lathe cut release limited to 20 hand-numbered copies with alternate artwork, signed by the artist.
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