Following a string of acclaimed EPs, Birmingham-based musician and composer Rosie Tee has announced the release of her debut mini-album, Night Creature (out 26 April 2024).
Through a haze of purring synths, spacious beats and intricate orchestrations, the lushly textured six track collection pulls in a hallucinatory blend of avant-pop, psych, jazz and folk while lyrically exploring themes of nature and ecology, as well as touching on Eastern European rural folk tales – reflecting the Midlands-raised Tee’s Polish heritage.
With its clattering percussion and lithe bass, title track Night Creature invites listeners to a remote forest inhabited by creatures both real and imagined; the drifting metallic percussive Wishbone is an ode to a folkloric female spirit living beneath a house; and the skittering The Dogs finds a Krampus-like creature pursued by hounds.
Meanwhile, opening single Lectern muses on “information overload and digital crosstalk”, Where We Go ponders ecological collapse, and album closer Unravel takes a sensual trip into a rainforest …
Discussing how Polish myths and legends have underpinned several of the album’s key songs, Rosie says: “I’ve been piecing together bits of family history with wider explorations of the folk tales that could have been told in Grandad’s rural village in South Poland.
“Part of that was getting into the fantasy book series The Witcher, where many fantastical creatures from Polish folklore are prominent, including the Kikimora – and the lyrics started flowing from there.
“The stories provided a wonderful feeling of escapism in lockdown period of 2020-2021 when I began forging these tracks.”
The material truly took shape during a dedicated writing session in a former chapel in the Brecon Beacons. By coincidence, it was previously the home of the late Hugh McDowell, cellist with fellow Brum sonic adventurers the Electric Light Orchestra, but it was the surrounding landscape which really impressed Rosie and her band.
“The Brecon Beacons formed such a dramatic backdrop to the music we were working on,” says Rosie. “We’d go for a walk each morning to start the day, so it feels almost inevitable that we created these hugely atmospheric otherworldly songs – it would have been impossible NOT to be inspired by a location as impressive as the valleys and mountains around Abergavenny.”
Back in Birmingham, Tee and her band – Kai Chareunsy (drums), Dan Cippico (bass) and Piera Onacko (synths) – developed the songs to full maturity across months of rehearsals and live appearances.
“I think any creative process refines and morphs over time, so having a while to gig this material live with the band before we went into the studio really cemented the sound of the mini-album. I’m not a particularly prolific writer so when I make a new release, I really do throw my all into it and I’m so lucky to share that with such phenomenal musicians like Piera, Kai and Dan.”
Night Creature is the first release on Tee’s own Kikimora Records.
“In Polish folklore, a female house spirit is known as a Kikimora,” she explains of the label’s moniker. “Often visualised as a moth, she can either be a cruel or a kind spirit. Depending on the home she dwells in, the Kikimora can be a caring protector or a bringer of havoc.”
Coinciding with the album release, Rosie Tee embarks on a series of UK dates which include an official launch party at Pan Pan, in Digbeth, Birmingham, on Saturday 27 April 2024. Promising an immersive night of heady sound and vibrant visuals, Tee will be joined by special guests and DJs.
For tickets and more information, see: www.rosietee.uk
Rosie Tee’s Night Creature is released via Kikimora Records on Friday 26 April 2024.
Pre-oder Rosie Tee’s Night Creature here: kikimorarecords.square.site or via Bandcamp.
Connect with Rosie Tee:
Website: www.rosietee.uk
Instagram: @rosietee
Facebook: Rosie Tee Music
X: @rosieteeuk
YouTube: youtube.com/therosietee
Bandcamp: rosietee.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: [Rosie Tee]