Words by Willa Rudolph
We are delighted to share with you the wicked new single and music video from Oklahoma-bred electronic-pop artist Pisha, born Madeline Kassen. “Dalt,” released October, Friday the 13th, follows the recent release of single “Body” (September 28th), both with some incredible animated visuals.
“Dalt” is a haunting tune with an evil-Lana Del Rey-esque sound. This mystically witchy and dark track begins with the sound of a whip cracking and is accompanied by a cute yet gruesome cartoon by Hamish McCallion. Recorded from Pisha’s home, the lyrics provoke, “I’ve got something that you can’t have/ it’s right here,” and cunningly continue in the next verse, “You’re lazy, you’re evil/ You make games of people.” With smart and witty lyrics, the music video tells the story of a woman seeking revenge on a lover.
In “Body,” Pisha defies genre in her “trip-hop” and “industrial psychedelia” inspired song, which will set the darkly hypnotic mood for her upcoming EP and cites inspiration from Lalleshwari (Katie Jane Garside), and Einstürzende Neubauten. The video, animated by Charlotte Pelissier, is inspired by psychedelic cartoonists such as Robert Crumb.
“Body”‘s beat is prayer-like, with a meditative and repetitive guitar tone and bells chiming. The beginning reminded me greatly of “Venus in Furs” by Velvet Underground. The melody similarly sounds like a spell being cast and sends chills down your spine. With trippy live footage by Nara Avakian dispersed between the psychedelic cartoons, the video feels like a vivid and prophetic dream.
Pisha seems to be attracted to that which is mysterious and eery, leaning into the unearthly and bizarre. Her imagery, lyrics, and sound, alike, call upon a dark and dangerous kind of femininity.
Pisha attended the Berklee College of Music before moving to New York and enmeshing herself in the DIY Brooklyn scene.
