In anticipation of their dates as an official artist at SXSW, poolblood (Maryam Said, she/they) announced plans for an additional run of US shows and unveiled a new video for “my little room” off their debut album, mole, out now via Next Door Records. Tickets for the shows are available here. 
 
The video is a hazy, dream-like homage to Mr. Rogers, shot on film at the Scarborough Model Railroaders Club and directed by Holly Pruner. poolblood says, “I grew up watching ‘Mr. Rogers’ reruns and I just loved it so much as a kid. I knew I wanted my friend Holly Pruner to direct the video because she is such a great storyteller and really nailed the feeling of the song. She did an incredible job capturing the rhythmic meditative state of the song.” Pruner adds, “‘my little room’ perfectly captures the feeling that we are constantly growing and changing. The song has a melodic urgency to it, familiar to any person eager to take on their next chapter in life but already nostalgic for whatever they’ll leave behind.”

mole is an album centered on stories of the kids of deep and abiding intimacies – romantic and platonic – that run so far below the surface they become the root of everything that grows above. The album is awash with a multitude of collaborators, each bringing their own unique talent and skill into the mix. Louie Short and Shamir worked with Said as producers on the project and played on a number of tracks, in addition to a cadre of musicians like Christian Lee Hutson, Eliza Niemi, Dorothea Paas, Grant Pavol, Victoria Bury, Annie Truscott, Nick Short, and Drew & Jeremy Harmonfiltering in and out of each song. 
 
Throughout mole, poolblood serves as a friendly guide through a halcyon world of their own creation, lush, dense and beautiful at one turn, sparse, tender and revelatory in others. With an undeniable ear for the building blocks of an unforgettable hit, poolblood is an invitation to a journey, the offer of an ever-expanding, dynamically shifting musical universe.

Photo Courtesy: Jibril–Yassin