Talulah Paisley – Slink
Former frontperson of the riot grrrl new wave band T-Rextasy, Lyris Faron, or Talulah Paisley, envisioned starting her own solo project while on a cross country drive home from tour. Having begun making music as a teenager with friends in New York City, and later navigating the challenges of graduating college and striking out on her own—both personally and creatively—Faron embraced “an extended version of herself” in the form of Talulah Paisley. With influences ranging from The Ronettes and The Velvet Underground to Roy Ayers, the whimsical and passionate artist explores the highs and lows of early adulthood and the many powerful ‘firsts’ that shape the experience on her debut studio album, Fool, due out June 11th via the People’s Coalition of Tandy.
Today, Talulah Paisley follows up “What’s It Like?“ — the first single ahead of Fool‘s release — with “Slink,“ an earnest and endearing exploration of intimacy, featuring backing vocals from Greta and Alex of Frankie Cosmos and Katie Von Schleicher. In an echoing and hypnotic cry, Faron sings, “Why don’t you know what you want?” and “Why don’t you know who you want?“
In the music video for “Slink,“ co-directed by Faron and Savannah Magruder, Faron dons a white jumpsuit and clown makeup, with balloons attached to her body — a nod to a magazine cover featuring pin-up legend Bettie Page. Vulnerable and seemingly naïve, Faron is stopped by a gang of greasers on the street, and mayhem ensues.
Lyris Faron (aka Talulah Paisley) on the track, “Slink is about this period where I felt disconnected from my desires. I was looking for that part of myself again, and felt ashamed and lonely in not finding it. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is in on this secret but you. I feel like in mainstream media intimacy is often represented so narrowly and it frustrates me so much. It shows the same acts, the same feelings and the same identities over and over again. It’s always hot, it always works and everyone always wants it. No one is ever tired or in pain and it’s never awkward or even funny. In this song, I wanted to talk about an in-between space with intimacy.”
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