Olly Alexander continues to go from strength to strength with each new track he releases from his upcoming album Polari. The former Years & Years hitmaker releases another new cut from the album, When We Kiss, which might just be Olly and producer Danny L Harle’s best track yet thanks to the shades of Erasure and Pet Shop Boys which shimmer through it. Olly has also released the title track, Cupid’s Bow, Dizzy, and Archangel from the album showcasing the high energy electronic sound of the collection.
On the new track, Olly notes it was inspired by the “difficult moment in a relationship when you don’t know whether you should break up or if you should stay together forever.” He continues: “I wanted this song to reflect those conflicted feelings, all the pain and ecstasy of loving someone. I believe heartbreak and synthesizers are made for each other and I had the best time making this with my ‘Polari’ partner Danny L Harle. Our aim was to take the listener on a rapturous journey of heartfelt emotion, from anguish to euphoria and back again.”
Describing the album, Olly shares: “Many queer people will understand a penchant for secrets and codes, having had a backlog of thousands of years where we were unable to live openly. About 8 months or so into the writing process the topic of Polari came up in the studio and my north star (Polaris!) appeared. I dived into the fascinating history of Polari – and it really is SO fascinating!”
Olly continues: “Here was a story that spans centuries, filled with hidden meanings and forbidden love, a way to express yourself openly via a secret code. Polari became my guiding light, a place where I could travel through time and create music that took reference from the past and remix it into the future. I’ve always written songs about love, but I found myself with a new perspective beyond my own usual fears and insecurities.”
The Dizzy hitmaker adds “Polari came to encapsulate so many things to me, a creative practice, an artistic refuge – it was a voyage that led me to many surprises – much like the language itself. This album is a documentation of that journey and a celebration of being alive. Welcome to Polari.”
Polari arrives on the 7th of February.
‘Polari’ tracklist:
- ‘Polari’
- ‘Cupid’s Bow’
- ‘I Know’
- ‘Shadow Of Love’
- ‘Make Me A Man’
- ‘Dizzy’
- ‘Archangel’
- ‘Miss You So Much’
- ‘When We Kiss’
- ‘Whisper’
- ‘Beautiful’
- ‘Heal You’
- ‘Language’
