• News

• All

Jul 20, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar Photography by Veronica Crockford-Pound + Joseph Griffen

Clementine Valentine, Aotearoa/New Zealand pop duo formerly known as Purple Pilgrims, have announced a new album The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor, and shared a Greta van der Star-directed music video for its lead single “Time and Tide.” This LP, which was produced by Randall Dunn (Oneohtrix Point Never, Danny Elfman, Zola Jesus, SQÜRL), is due out August 25 via Flying Nun. Check out the video below, followed by the upcoming album’s tracklist and cover artwork.

For The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor, percussion was provided by Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple), and the audio was mastered by Heba Kadry (Bjork, Beach House, Slowdive). This record marks the start of a new era for Clementine Valentine, as they dive deeper into themes of folklore, poetry, and power. Originally created amidst a pandemic influenced isolation, the sisters examined various events unfolding in their lives, and began work on a set of songs tapping into a newfound sense of realism, skewed through a lens of soft fantasy.

Of “Time and Tide,” the duo say in a press release: “We thought we were only capable of writing sad songs - but found optimism creeping in during the writing of this album. Without ruining the mystery, ‘Time and Tide’’ is about the release that comes in too brief moments of relinquishing overthinking, fret and regret. It’s coloured with melancholy, but cheerful by our measure.”

Of the music video, they add: “We’re always inspired by [and identify with] outsiders. For this video we were influenced by three in particular: the photography of Francesca Woodman, the cover image of Brett Smiley’s album [Breathlessly Brett], and Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shalott’. Trapped in a tower, looking out over a pastoral scene, waiting for life to begin again (if you squint you’ll see Camelot in the distance). The idea of merging with four walls, or being suffocated by them (as felt in Woodman’s photos) resonated with us, and no doubt countless others, at the time this song was written.”

The pair previously shared the track “Endless Night.”

The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor Tracklist:

1.Gatekeeper
2.All I See
3.Time and Tide
4.The Understudy
5.Selenelion
6.The Rope
7.Endless Night
8.Actors Tears
9.All Yesterdays Flowers

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.