Michelle Blades contemplates lost innocence and the daily grind with “Kiss Me On The Mouth”

Blades has long drawn inspiration from her nomadic life, which has seen her fleeing the dictatorship in Panama with her family of Mexican-Panamanian salsa musicians, then settling in Miami before recording her first EPs and albums in the deserts of Arizona. She now bases herself in Paris, where she has spent over a decade as a recording artist.

The theme of exploring innocence is echoed through the song's structure in a William Blake-esque alternation: the verses feature Blades' cutesy vocals over wide-eyed toybox synths and a catchy and simple bassline, before an unpredictable change of pace halfway through the track. What comes next is a punchy guitar-forward swerve evoking The Long Blondes.

The motif is carried through visually too, the accompanying video featuring Michelle Blades dressed in multiple outfits seen as day-to-day disguises, directed by the collective Fuerzas Básicas and Gil Hernández.

Michelle Blades plays her part in showcasing the wealth of new music coming from French labels. The new single is taken from her upcoming album, Visitor, which she will release through Parisian label Midnight Special Records in March.