Get the first look at Goldfrapp's video for their single Stranger, exclusive to AnOthermag.com
For Goldfrapp's sixth studio album, Tales of Us, Alison Goldfrapp and William Gregory opted for a stripped-back, acoustic approach, moving away from their electronic past and letting the vocals take precedence, underscored by lilting guitar and strings. The record is a whimsical "noir fairytale", peppered with a cast of fascinating characters who are the namesakes for nine of the ten songs. The final song is named simply, and intriguingly, Stranger and is the duo's latest single. Here, we present the premiere of the song's music video, shot in black and white by Goldfrapp's partner Lisa Gunning, a film editor who made her directing debut with a collection of five shorts for the album, which work together as a 30-minute film.
Like the song, the film is beautiful but chilling. Goldfrapp has cited author Patricia Highsmith, master of the psychological thriller, as one of her inspirations for the album, and that influence is particularly felt here as we watch a beguiling woman recall her seduction and subsequent murder of a married woman. "It’s very much about memory, identity and gender," Goldfrapp said of the album as a whole in a recent interview for NOWNESS. "I’ve always been fascinated by dual creatures, personas, people, personalities, and transformation. I think it’s a theme that’s pretty much always in fairytales and horror."
A deluxe edition of Tales of Us, including the audio from a special live performance of the album, is available on iTunes from June 30. Pre-order it now.
Stranger is directed by Lisa Gunning, and was co-created by Alison Goldfrapp & Lisa Gunning. Cinematology by Brian Strange.
Text by Daisy Woodward
