By Charlie Maybee
Queen Kwong (aka Carré Callaway) is back with a bite on her new single “I Know Who You Are” accompanied by a grunge-soaked music video that is eerie and visceral. On a mission to expose a male love interests toxic and negative qualities, we get to hear and watch her slowly come undone in an underground tunnel.
Musically, it’s a slower, grittier song that seems to revel in its derangement. If you are familiar with the opening theme of the hit show Yellowjackets on Showtime, this is a song that would fit perfectly alongside that soundtrack. Electricity and distortion reign supreme as the clean, yet sardonic melodies unravel the senses leaving the listener stark and bare.
With the music video inspired by the classic horror movie Possession, you can feel the unsettling vibes right from the get-go as we watch Calloway slowly descend into a tunnel holding a mysterious bag of blood oranges – a fitting metaphor for a descent into madness. Once she arrives in her cement abyss, she begins to swing the bag around leaving red splatters of citrus blood on the wall that in an unhinged tantrum. And if you think that’s distressing, the primal facial expressions of rage and violence seals the deal and sucks you in.
As the leading single for her upcoming third album Couples Only, you get a sense of looming danger on the horizon – proceed with caution because Queen Kwong is not here to play games. Fueled by the catharsis of betrayal and loss, this is a record that will leave bite marks. “It’s not a fun record,” Carré admits, “but, at times, it’s a funny one. it makes you realize what truly matters, and the things that don’t matter end up meaning even less. It frees you from a lot of bullshit”.
“I Know Who You Are” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music and YouTube. You can find it on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify and YouTube.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
