Follow rivers, torrent avenues
Storm’s a battle that I’m bound to lose
And I am not myself I’m gone
Before embarking on live dates around North America this autumn, Liverpool synth heroes Ladytron have unveiled a rather captivating and surreal short film for the song “Misery Remember Me,” another spellbinding gem from their 2023 album, ‘Time’s Arrow.”
Within the song’s poignant lyrics, a soul grapples with its own ephemeral state, pulled magnetically towards an elusive radiance. Lost in the tumult of nature’s whims and alien terrains, it questions identity and place. There’s a haunting yearning for acknowledgment from the cruel lover, Misery. The repeated plea: Will this torment even remember the pain it inflicted? With each quest to distant lands and starlit nights, the refrain is the same – a desperate search for self, and whether amidst all the chaos and obscurity, one can ever truly be recognized.
Amidst the grandeur surrounding Helen Marnie’s ethereal visage, the striking vistas in the video sweep us into a realm that feels curiously unmoored from our tedious ticking clocks.
“The sheer beauty of these landscapes mirrors the vulnerability of the song, as it raises questions about whether beauty alone is enough, “Marnie muses. “Will misery remember me?”
This prompts a reflection, reminiscent of something Alan Watts might have murmured on a lazy afternoon: the balance of grounding oneself in the tangible “now” whilst letting the mind wander, unrestricted, into the dreamscape. “Misery Remember Me” seems to croon this very sentiment, urging us to be present but never tethered, always afloat in the vast sea of possibilities. A dance between reality and what lies just beyond its grasp. Ultimately, it’s an ode to the human spirit against all odds.
“Misery Remember Me”
The song “Misery Remember” perfectly encapsulates the thematic underpinnings that define Ladytron’s seventh studio album, Time’s Arrow. Helen explains, “we must embrace the now, but always allow ourselves to dream. ‘Misery Remember Me’ encapsulates this ethos.”
Forming in Liverpool in the late 90s and taking their name from the Roxy Music track, Ladytron’s debut album 604 was released a year ahead of 2002’s Light&Magic with Witching Hour in 2005. The group were lauded as leaders of the new electro-pop and electroclash scenes flourishing at the time, and Light&Magic went on to be influential, for both independent and mainstream electronic-pop music.
After gracing the States with their presence in spring, and weaving through a tapestry of European festivals as summer’s guest, Ladytron is at it again. This September, they’re making their illustrious return, with marquee nights slated at New York’s Irving Plaza, Los Angeles’ Belasco Theatre, and a rather grand denouement at San Diego’s CRSSD Fest. But fear not, if you miss them then — come November, they’ll be enchanting folks in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and adding a dash of their magic to Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival.
One might ask, what’s on the setlist? Expect a blend of the nostalgic and the new; melodies that harken back to yesteryears intermingled with fresh tunes from ‘Time’s Arrow‘.
Tickets for all of Ladytron’s upcoming North American tour dates can be purchased here.
September:
- 20 NYC, Irving Plaza
- 22 Los Angeles, The Belasco
- 23 San Diego, CRSSD
November:
- 16 Austin, Mohawk
- 17 Dallas, Granada
- 18 Houston, Numbers
- 19 Mexico City, Corona Capital Festival
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