Jessy Lanza – Slapped By My Life
Jessy Lanza announces her first solo music in two years, the Slapped by My Life EP, arriving this Friday September 12th on Hyperdub with a physical version arriving a week later on September 19th.
In conjunction with the news, she shares the title track, a co-production with Pearson Sound, as well as an accompanying video directed by Winston Case.
“Slapped By My Life” is a bittersweet love letter to Jessy’s husband and frequent collaborator Winston H. Case, conceived when he was undergoing cancer treatment. Lyrically, the song flits between longing, gratitude, and uncertainty. It’s the most direct and personal track Jessy has ever written, with co-production from Pearson Sound.
“I wrote ‘Slapped By My Life’ while my husband Winston was going through chemotherapy. The treatment cycle was relentless and he spent most of the time bedridden, so while he slept I wrote this song for him. It’s been challenging to find the space to be creative since cancer came into our lives, but I knew this song would make Winston smile and that was motivation enough. Collaborating with Pearson Sound made this track exciting too because listening to his music has always been a serotonin rush. When I wrote ‘Slapped By My Life’ I was desperate to feel something other than sadness, to escape my mind and live inside the music, even for a few minutes.”
Musically, the track leans into a more dancefloor-oriented sound, playful and floaty at a speedy 158bpm. The second version, “Existential Edit,” pushes even deeper into the dancefloor, accentuating the sweeping, lush synth textures with jittery accents and phrases that swirl around a propulsive bounce.
“I dedicate this song to my husband Winston and to all the caregivers. You are the ones who keep the world turning.”
The video for “Slapped By My Life” is shot from the frenetic POV of guerrilla whoop professional FPV Vegan. Filmed in New York City on a sweltering August afternoon, director and lead subject Winston channels and contorts the traumas of his battle with cancer in a full-body cast and motorized chair while being antagonized by a fleet of drones. As Winston says, “My journey through cancer has been marked with insensitivity and sorrow so harrowing it borders on comedy. I’d often find myself between laughter and despair, and I wanted the video for Jessy’s song to reflect that feeling.” The “Slapped By My Life” video marks another chapter in Winston’s long-running visual collaboration with Jessy, where his short-form narratives heighten or send up many of Jessy’s best songs. Interestingly, filming this one caught the attention of concerned and confused onlookers, possibly even local park police, who intervened to make sure Winston wasn’t actually being terrorized by rogue drones.
#jessy.lanza