Princess Chelsea announces new album The Great Cybernetic Depression

30 March 2015, 12:03 | Written by Laurence Day

(News)

(Princess Chelsea)

New Zealand dream-pop artist Princess Chelsea has announced a new album called The Great Cybernetic Depression, and shared its lead single "No Church On Sunday".

Simon Ward has directed the surreal CGI video for the track, which sees Chelsea donning different outfits to croon amongst broken glass, blood bubbles and shimmering orbs as an alien world collapses around her. The track itself is a foggy paean to religious guilt, written by her friend, Jamie-Lee - the infamous Jamie-Lee from "The Cigarette Duet", no doubt.

The album follows Chelsea's Lil Golden Book debut, an album inspired by '70s electronica and children's sci-fi. The new LP boasts classical-inspired baroque-isms, Courtney Barnett-style humour/banality, and an obsession with the intergalactic.

Speaking about the lead single, Princess Chelsea - real name Chelsea Nikkel - says:

"My friend and I left the church around the same time when we were teenagers and moved out of home together into a flat in Avondale in Auckland. At the time Avondale was one of Auckland's rougher suburbs although now thanks to the 'property boom' over here the gentrification has begun. It was our first flat out of home so needless to say we had a few parties - there were beer bottles everywhere (a shopping trolley full of them) and a lot of weird hangers on who just wouldn't leave. Coincidentally our new home was right next door to one of our old churches.

"We felt gross weird confused and guilty but we still wouldn't go to church.

"Years later my friend demoed up "No Church on Sunday" - it was the first song she'd ever written - she didn't really want to do anything with it but I thought it was amazing so asked her if I could use it. I ended up turning into its current stadium rock inspired state. I guess its a happy song after all because my friend and I both ended up figuring things out."

The Great Cybernetic Depression is out 8 June on Flying Nun/Little Chief.

To celebrate the release, Chelsea will be playing a series of shows in Europe, including a London date at Dalston's Birthdays on 10 June. More information can be found here.

Stream the video for "No Church On Sunday" below.