Photo by Jonas Fransson
There’s a dark cloud on my chest
I feel it’s weight on me tonight
There’s evil lurking in the corner
It really wants to take a bite
Navigating the complexities of a sleep disorder presents a unique blend of confusion and distress. Phenomena such as sleepwalking, night terrors, or the vivid enactment of dreams often result in a jarring awakening, tinged with elements of fear or mortification. This inherent unpredictability breeds an undercurrent of anxiety regarding sleep, further complicated by the looming risk of injury — a recurrent theme that perpetuates an ongoing cycle of nocturnal unrest and daytime tension.
Within the mysterious world of Swedish darkwave,” artist aux animaux releases a deeply evocative video that delves into one of the more unsettling facets of parasomnia: Sleep Paralysis. A lifetime of personal encounters with these sleep disorders has indelibly influenced the artist, sparking a creative urgency to explore and articulate the impact of these experiences through music.
The lyrics, unadorned yet poignant, navigate the harrowing experience of being ensnared in this terror-inducing cycle — a chilling portrayal of panic and helplessness, akin to an ensnared insect in the relentless grip of a spider’s web, defenseless against the dark figments conjured by the mind.
The self-directed video for the song beautifully showcases this paranoia with its disjointed, deeply disturbing visions, conjured straight out of the underbelly of the darkest recesses of the psyche. Nighty-nightmare!
Watch the video for “Sleep Paralysis” below:
Body Horror, the latest offering from Manic Depression Records, marks a significant turn in aux animaux’s artistic journey, as it represents her inaugural foray into an LP steeped in the distinct rhythms and textures of EBM. This album emerges not just as a creative endeavour, but also a deeply personal reflection of a year marred by health challenges that have left their imprint both physically and psychologically. The artist’s experiences have mirrored the surreal and unsettling dimensions of a body horror film, lending a visceral authenticity to this work.
Body Horror retains a strong thematic connection to the horror genre, underscored by a more intimate exploration of the artist’s own experiences. aux animaux’s well-established affinity for horror, particularly her fascination with the disturbingly surreal and psychologically complex world of the human body and its fragility, has long been the lifeblood of her musical inspiration. It was this passion for horror cinema that initially drew her to the expressive potential of synthesizers, allowing her to craft soundscapes that resonate with the eerie and the uncanny. Body Horror, in its exploration of the grotesque and the deeply personal, is both disconcerting and intriguing.
Body Horror is out now.
Mastering for Body Horror was done by Doruk Öztürkcan (She Past Away), who aux animaux has been touring with in EU & Turkey this year.
Tour Dates:
More TBA soon.
* With She Past Away
‘ With Buzz Kull
Follow aux animaux:
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