Survival Guide announced her fourth full-length album ‘Deathdreams,’ scheduled for release on October 19th, 2023, via Double Helix Records. In addition, she released her first new single and video ‘Blood Perfume.’
“Over the last few years, I’ve had a handful of dreams that involved my own death in various ways, and they’ve all been profound for me,” says Emily “Agent M” Whitehurst (former vocalist for punk standouts Tsunami Bomb) about the themes surrounding her upcoming fourth full-length. “It seemed natural to call the album ‘Deathdreams’ after this theme, and I like the opposing imagery and feelings those words can conjure. I like the way dreams can be thought of as soft, sweet, or strange, and death as dark and ominous. These are all descriptors that fit various songs on the album as well, so it seemed like the right title for the collection.”
The first single ‘Blood Perfume’ found Whitehurst writing from the perspective of people or entities (such as social media, religion, an emotionally abusive partner or family member, politics, drugs, etc) that can “turn negative” when we allow them control. “Not that all those things are inherently bad,” she adds, “but I feel like we can be so easily manipulated sometimes, and we don’t even know it’s happening. I love how the feel of this song turned out very ominous, but also dry and straightforward.”
The accompanying music video is a short horror film involving a serial killer who gruesomely dispatches the body. “Yes, there was blood and violence involved [in the video],” she laughs, “but none of it was real of course… although I did have to really drag a man’s body in a tarp, which was pretty difficult! I hope people aren’t too scared to watch it!”
Produced by Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, The Ataris, The Format) at Flying Blanket Recording in Mesa, Arizona, the songs on the album range from chillingly eerie rhythms (‘Stay Dead’), to ’70s-styled secret agent spy theme (‘Sharpshooter’) to a melancholic piano ballad (‘I’ll Picture You’). At times a darkly sonic and emotional hand grenade, and others a sparkly shimmering rainbow of rich melodies and textures, the record is a tour de force that showcases the breadth and depth of Whitehurst’s songwriting, lyrical imagery, and vocal fortitude. Far-ranging in its topic matter, the album touches on the themes of anxiety (‘Wordswordswords’) and the dangers of societal influences (‘Bad Little Seed’), coupled with Whitehurst’s dreams about dying (‘Lady Neptune’). “My favorite kinds of albums are the ones that take you places and have a song for every mood, so that’s what I made,” she says excitedly.
‘Deathdreams’ tracklist:
01. Bad Little Seed
02. Sour Sorrow
03. Pie
04. Blood Perfume
05. Sharpshooter
06. Lady Neptune
07. Wordswordswords
08. Fight Me
09. Don’t Feel Bad
10. Stay Dead
11. I’ll Picture You