Once upon a time, St.Vincent hinted at the possibility that her latest album, Daddy's Home – released in May this year – was going to be a metal album. While the finished product ended up more infused with the 70s-style vintage sounds of David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Lou Reed, it seems like those holding out for a heavier record from St.Vincent might still be in luck.
St.Vincent has gone on the record about her love of metal artists many times in the past, and back in March she suggested via a conversation with Radio.com that she wanted her next project to be in vein of one of her favourite artists, Tool. That idea was scrapped when she struggled to get the songs to come together, realising that she "kept finding I didn’t have anything to say there."
But she followed up with a promise: "For fans who may be selfishly hoping to hear something like that Tool record… we’ll get there, don’t worry.”
In a recent interview with NME, St.Vincent revealed that she is still very much holding onto that original promise. After discussing her early influences of bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Metallica, St.Vincent is asked whether she'd ever consider going back to her roots by making a "full on metal album".
She explains: "...I’m angry again! I want to make that record. There’s a season for all of it. There’s a season for warmth and then there’s a season for ‘fuck you’!”
Recently, St.Vincent released her take on Metallica's Sad But True, as part of the charity covers album The Blacklist, created in celebration of The Black Album's 30th anniversary. As part of Record Store Day, St.Vincent shared the cover alongside a rendition of Nine Inch Nails' song Piggy. When asked about what these songs mean to her, she answers:
"Metallica to me are a bit more of a nostalgic love. I played bass in a metal band when I was 13 and always wanted to be the guitar player!
"...Anyway, we played those songs at junior high talent shows. It was fun to get under the hood. You think you know a song, then you really play it and it’s so interesting. I really found that with Piggy.”
Commenting on Nails' wide-reaching sound and inspirations, she says: "That’s one of the things that people forget about Nails. They’re not just culling from industrial beats – it’s a deep understanding of all kinds of rhythm filtered through that lens. Piggy is like reggae.
"Look, if you’re talking about great songs, epic production and perfect fucking shows – there are only a few names and Trent Reznor is always in there! You will never go to a Nails show and be disappointed. I was playing Roskilde a few years ago, got changed out of my latex stage gear and into more sensible festival clothing, went out and watched Nine Inch Nails from the crowd.
"This really sweet kid came up and told me he was a fan and we had a nice talk, then March Of The Pigs came on and me this kid just started really raging and going for it! It’s inescapable, you can’t not be physically moved by Nine Inch Nails. Trent’s a genius and how many of those do we get?”
Keep an eye out for upcoming updates around St.Vincent's new music when we get them.
