Now, I see you turning from me
You best turn back around
It’s time to face your demons
Look me in the eye and don’t make a sound
From the much-lauded album Couples Only, Queen Kwong offers a stunning new video clip for “No Rules” – a sizzling number where Carré Kwong Callaway audaciously takes the reins of her own wants.
“The track stands out from most of the other songs on Couples Only, both thematically and sonically,” she explains, pointing out the album’s main themes of overcoming betrayal and ultimately rising above it all.
The song paints a poignant portrait of a soul who’s journeyed wide, only to confront the mirrors of human connection. There’s a thirst for genuine intimacy, a cry against societal prescriptions, and an underlying tone of voracious want. With past indulgences, she’s played with men like mere toys, shattering them with nonchalance. Yet, now there’s a shift—a longing for something, or someone, deeper. She’s challenging this object of affection, demanding transparency, without veils. It’s a bold confrontation against conventions, and at its core, an unapologetic yearning to break free from all constraints, including those self-imposed.
The video for “No Rules” veers toward the surreal and impressionistic, under the deft hand of prize-winning snapper and director, Tamar Levine (It’s Okay and Twenty-Two Date Palm Way).
“Tamar and I have been good friends for decades and have done many photo shoots together but this is our first video,” she explains of the collaboration. “We were inspired by surrealistic concepts, Dada, collage, etc. This is the first time I’ve done anything with a green screen but the falling sequence is my favorite part of the video…lying in a kiddie pool full of cold milk was the most challenging part of the production,” she laughs. “Compared to things I’ve endured in previous videos, it was a cakewalk and the video turned out exactly the way I was hoping.”
“I wanted the experience to feel like a push and pull between Carré holding the power of the person she’s singing to, putting them under a sort of spell, and then at the same time having a self-awareness of not being fully in control of that power,” adds Levine.
Watch Queen Kwong’s video for “No Rules” below:
Couples Only (out now via Sonic Ritual) shows Queen Kwong at her most emotionally raw and pointed, exposing herself not as a victim but as the one with the last laugh. Kwong wanders through betrayal, loss, the realization of one’s mortality, and the impermanence of everything we know and cherish.The album showcases her voice, and feminine power, with a notable cadre of contributing musician friends: The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell, Swans’ Suzette Kristof Hahn, and Blood Red Shoes’ Laura-Mary Carter. With this release, Carré sets the record straight, changes the paradigm, and is taking no prisoners.
Queen Kwong was discovered by Trent Reznor in 2005, who invited her to open Nine Inch Nails’ With Teeth tour, and again in 2009 and 2018. She has released two albums (Get a Witness in 2015 and Love Me to Death in 2018) and two EPs (2013’s Bad Lieutenant and 2019’s Oh Well).
Couples Only is out now via Sonic Ritual. The album was produced by Joe Cardamone (The Icarus Line / Dark Mark vs Skeleton Joe).
Find the album here
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