A twisted comedic
“Bachelor In Paradise” spoof
New Album Couples Only Out July 12th via Sonic Ritual
After the release of her latest single “On The Run” featuring keys and synths by close friend Roger O’Donnell (The Cure), Queen Kwong, (a.k.a. Carré Kwong Callaway) has shared her new visual for the song. “On The Run” is the second single off of her upcoming album Couples Only, out July 12 via Sonic Ritual. (Pre-save here: https://lnk.to/
For the “On The Run” music video, Queen Kwong takes a dark, yet comedic aim at the superficialness of reality TV, specifically dating shows. The video showcases the standard over-the-top shenanigans found in the genre; drinking, partying, marriage proposals, however the dynamic shifts when Carré’s character takes the final rose ceremony into her own hands
Speaking of the video, Carré says: “The video was inspired by the TV franchise, Bachelor in Paradise —a reality show on which people go to Mexico to find their ‘soulmates’ and get engaged at the end. I used lines from episodes of the actual show in the video to spotlight the ridiculousness of the fantasized version of love that pop culture perpetuates. People want the fairy-tale, TV romance no matter who it’s with, whether it’s real or not.”
A few years ago, Carré was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and told she may only have a decade left to live. As a result of the condition, she’s prone to episodes where her lungs fill up with blood and she’s literally drowning. If that wasn’t bad enough, two months after her diagnosis, her husband jumped ship.
Couples Only could be described as a divorce record, but really it’s much more than that. Carré’s third album is a fearless account of facing the worst betrayals and accepting the deepest losses; it’s the realization of one’s mortality and the impermanence of everything we know and cherish.
Assembling a notable cadre of contributing musician friends including The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell (keyboards), Swans’ Kristof Hahn (lap steel) and Blood Red Shoes’ Laura-Mary Carter (backing vocals) who appear on assorted tracks on the upcoming LP, Carré worked closely with friends and allies, including Joe Cardamone of The Icarus Line, and Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple), who mixed the record.
Couples Only was entirely improvised and recorded on the spot—nothing was pre-written lyrically or musically. For three weeks, Carré and longtime producer Cardamone crafted about one song a day, which would eventually be whittled down to the final 11 songs.
“I don’t play music because it’s fun,” she explains. “It’s a coping mechanism. It’s for survival. I have to keep playing music because it’s my way of allowing myself to feel.”
Couples Only will be released on July 12, 2022 via Sonic Ritual.