PREMIERE: Foreignfox - I Used To Be A Bellydancer EP

Jonny Watt & Fraser MacIntyre break down the EP for us track by track

Track by track notes by by Jonny Watt & Fraser MacIntyre.

Perfect Place To Start

The first song to be written and recorded for the EP. Sometimes it is necessary, though never easy, to tear down something bloated, be it legislation or tradition, in order to rebuild it from the ground up; stronger and more just. Perfect Place is a reminder to step back and think things through from more than one perspective. To see through the pressures and over-stimulus of modern society; avoiding complacency, intolerance, peer pressure, propaganda and greed. Striving to be compassionate, forward-thinking and courageous whenever possible.

Bonfire

We were long overdue an uplifting song. Bonfire began as a solo meditation on loss and letting go, but in our practise room, nothing is sacred. It didn't take long for us to throw arena drums, an outro & dazzling falsetto aerobics into the mix.

Monsoon

I could wax on about biblical overtones, embracing the unknown, having the strength to build a new dream when the old one proves to be hollow and so on and so forth, la dee da dee da etc etc etc.... BUT, I'm going to dial down the intellectual side here. This song has a big fuck-off chorus, and we like big fuck-off choruses. Expect many more big fuck-off choruses in future.

Lights Off, Carry Me Home

3 minutes and 47 seconds in the shoes of a man overwhelmed by his circumstances, drinking himself into a stupor only to find the loss of his inhibitions is no longer a joyous escape, but a stumble into the dark with disastrous consequences. Disillusionment, wounded pride and waning health all gnaw at his exhausted psyche, unable to co-exist, as his surroundings blur. Friends become enemies, and blind rage becomes the only engine through which he can find power in his helplessness. A warning note on the perils of self-medication.

I Used To Be A Bellydancer

Each track on the EP delves into the mindset of a different man or woman in crisis; questioning their faith, their role in society, their future, their government and the purity of their own hopes and actions. Bellydancer doesn’t offer the triumph of Monsoon or the catharsis of Bonfire. We chose to end the EP on this uncertain, apocalyptic note because resolution and safety are never guaranteed. The protagonist remains adrift, holding on to hope and little else. This happens - it’s happening all around us, close to home and far overseas, and it felt important to capture that in an honest, empathetic and undiluted manner.

'I Used To Be A Bellydancer' will be available on 12" vinyl as side A, with a re-mastered, re-issue of the band's 2014 debut 'We Float Like Sinking Ships' pressed on side B.

Includes digital pre-order of I Used To Be A Bellydancer. The moment the album is released you'll get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Available on Scottish Fiction here.