Following the exciting announcement of Olly Alexander’s next album ‘Polari’, Olly is back today with the official music video for the project’s lead single ‘Cupid’s Bow’. The video was directed by Colin Solal Caldo, who previously directed the video for Alexander’s song “Dizzy”.
Listen to “Cupid’s Bow” here.
At the time of its release, Queerty praised “Cupid’s Bow”‘s “pulsating electro-pop beat” and “’80s club nostalgia with a modern edge”, adding, “Olly Alexander is back and his is exactly brandishing ‘Cupid’s bow’,” but Out Magazine said: Remove the “killer chorus” from the track. Exploring themes of desire, intimacy, voyeurism, and destiny, “Cupid’s Bow” is a fascinating return work from Olly Alexander. Its pounding club soundscape and subtle love of subculture were created in collaboration with Polari collaborator Danny L. Haar. Olly was drawn to electronic pop’s early queer forerunners and contemporary complexities. The allure of love, and where to find it (whether shot from Eros or at your local cruising spot). Along with the album announcement, Olly also confirmed the details and tracklist of his long-awaited new solo album, Polari, scheduled to be released on February 7, 2025 via Interscope Records.
Click here to pre-order Polari.
Polari is a timeless pop album that looks back at history as a way to learn more about ourselves. Olly Alexander’s first album under his own name takes the (nearly) lost art of Polari as its main inspiration. Originating in Europe and around Romani communities as early as the 1600s, this coded slang effectively became a secret language for homosexuals and other stigmatized people in the 20th century. It’s a concept Olly first encountered when coming out, and it resonated even more deeply with him when he played Richie in It’s a Sin, which tackled questions of identity, self-expression, and community. Those types have always permeated British life and have long been a constant in the history of pop music. I needed to know where to look.
After 10 years of releasing music as Years & Years, Polari is literally like Olly Alexander talking. He bonded with Danny L. Harleover over a shared love of ’80s club music, an era of uncompromising avant-garde pop that crept into the mainstream. Polari remained a north star throughout the creative process, and the language was similarly less widely recognized but still visibly influential (e.g. “drug”, “nuff”, “trade”, etc.). (see colloquialism). The album was released alongside an audio-visual world-building that was completely controlled by Olly, from an anarchic Derek Jarman-inspired aesthetic to Olly writing a short play to accompany the release. Featuring cowboys, gods, and the occasional music industry executive. And through a long history of secrets and subtexts, Polari ultimately addresses needs that transcend time, sexuality, and self: to belong, to be loved, and (Polari literally means “to speak”) It’s an open and universal pop record about. “) Connect.
Stay tuned for more music and news from Olly Alexander.
“Cupid’s Bow” is available everywhere now.
Pre-order Olly Alexander’s upcoming album ‘Polari’ here. Released on February 7th.
track list
Polari
cupid’s bow
know
shadow of love
Make Me a Man
dizziness
archangel
Very nostalgic
When We Kiss
whisper
beautiful
Heal You
language
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