The Ophelias – Salome
The Ophelias unveil a new single/video, “Salome,” off of Spring Grove, their new album produced by Julien Baker, out April 4th via Get Better Records.
Today’s teeth-gnashing “Salome” uses a Biblical story as a lens through which to view the experience of getting involved with an older man:
“The knife // Swings heavy in // My hands // Maybe this was a mistake // I want your head on a platter.” It’s an album standout, emanating swagger through rousing guitar and precise, machine-like drumming. In the accompanying video, directed by the band’s Spencer Peppet and Jo Shaffer, shows the band wandering around a city to gather magic objects.
“‘Salome’ loosely follows the biblical story of (you guessed it) Salome, who danced for King Herod at his birthday celebration and was told she could ask for anything in return,” says Peppet. “She asked for the head of John the Baptist. While I personally have never facilitated someone’s beheading, I find the story and the way it has resonated with playwrights, filmmakers, and artists fascinating — a real depiction of ‘female biblical rage,’ as the TikTok girlies would say. The video is our campy camcorder take on that.”
While The Ophelias – Spencer Peppet (vocals/guitar, she/her), Mic Adams (drums, he/him), Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (violin, she/her), and Jo Shaffer (bass, they/she) – began as an “all-girl” band, they have since shed the reductive mantle of that label. With one queer and two trans members, these four individuals have collectively explored a vast terrain of womanhood, dancing around the center of that identity and what it means to move through the world. To that end, Spring Grove is primed to tackle a wide array of relationship dynamics, emotional negotiations, and power imbalances. There’s a simultaneous intensity and delicacy in its dynamics, and it’s a marked evolution in The Ophelias’ sound and storytelling.
The Ophelias Tour Dates
Fri. April 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy
Sat. April 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Broadway – record release show
Sun. April 6 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
Tue. April 8 – Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
Wed. April 9 – Portsmouth, NH @ Press Room
Sat. May 10 – Lansing, MI @ Stoopfest
Sun. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Tue. May 13 – Montréal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Wed. May 14 – Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean
#theophelias