Cate Le Bon has released her latest single, “Always The Same,” a collaboration with fellow art-pop luminary St. Vincent. The track serves as an atmospheric companion to her seventh studio album, Michelangelo Dying, which arrived in September last year to critical acclaim.
Born from “all-consuming heartache,” Michelangelo Dying moved away from Le Bon’s initial plans to become a visceral “exorcism” of emotion. “Always The Same” was written during these same transformative sessions, though Le Bon notes it required more “elbow room” than the album’s main sequence allowed. The track perfectly mirrors the record’s “iridescent, green, and silky” soundscape—a style Le Bon has meticulously refined by producing and playing much of the instrumentation herself.
Accompanied by a visualiser from long-time collaborator H. Hawkline, the song features St. Vincent providing a sense of “gravitas” amidst Le Bon’s exploration of the “dirty waters of love.” It is a stunning addition to a song cycle that fans have praised for its “deep feeling” and striking emotional depth.
Stream: https://catelebon.ffm.to/alwaysthesame.oyd