Keeley Forsyth has shared “I Stand Alone,” the latest single from her sophomore album Limbs, the followup to her critically acclaimed debut album Debris, which will be released on February 25, 2022 via The Leaf Label.

As with previous single “Bring Me Water,” it is accompanied by a noirish video produced in collaboration with Ross Downes and Neil Cain. After a knotted journey through static, and frayed emotional landscapes, “I Stand Alone” closes the record in quiet defiance.

“The song uses words as murmurs in a moment of realisation,” Forsyth explains. “Strengthening autonomy and protecting human dignity, even at its most dark and surreal. It’s a survival song in essence.”

“We shot the video over two bitterly cold countryside days. We took influence from the cinematic traditions of folkloric horror and British rural gothic, as well as respectfully referencing Carl Dreyer’s classic The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, where the concentration and focus is on the main protagonist’s face and expressions, shot in intimate close-ups. We were keen to capture the absurdist aspect of the character ignoring her predicament, and staying committed to her own ‘truth’, in spite of what society may throw at her.”

Where Debris was composed and recorded in close proximity to instrumentalist and arranger Matthew Bourne, Limbs deploys a more expansive palette. With Forsyth at the centre, collaborator Ross Downes acts as another limb, remotely producing the pulses and drones which feed back into the voice. Bourne this time is enlisted to “Bring some of the soil of Debris” into Limbs. The result is clearer and more spacious. If Debris sounded like it was buried under the earth – Forsyth’s voice repressed and breathless – Limbs brings some of that live presence. You can hear deep breaths drawn into the lungs as you place the voice and its proximity to you.
Understated but devastating, Debris was a breakout success, with features and prominent end of year placements.

Photo Courtesy: Sophie Stafford