QUEEN KWONG Shares New Video For “WITHOUT YOU, WHATEVER,” Starring Laura-Mary Carter
“With “Without You, Whatever,’ Callaway breaks away from the stately arrangements and dark instrumentals of her previous two singles and instead crafts a shimmering indie pop gem.” –Under The Radar
“Carré Callaway’s tough-as-nails attitude mixes oddly with her esoteric innocence. You wouldn’t expect the freckled-face singer to lead a ‘visceral rock’ band named Queen Kwong.” – LA Weekly
“Singing through a stinging lyrical letter… ‘I Know Who You Are’ borders the delirium and darkness of divorce and finding a way out.” – Flaunt
“The first single, ‘I Know Who You Are’ is an absolute shiver-inducing stunner, with its haunted, slow-build introduction, jarringly jagged grooves, and thundering, industrial-punk sonics.” – BlackBook
QUEEN KWONG
SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR
“WITHOUT YOU, WHATEVER”
STARRING LAURA-MARY CARTER
(BLOOD RED SHOES)
Couples Only – The New Album
Out July 12th via Sonic Ritual
JUNE 9, 2022 (Los Angeles, CA) — Today LA-based QUEEN KWONG (a.k.a. Carré Kwong Callaway) shares the new video for “Without You, Whatever.” Filmed in Brighton, UK during a trip to visit close friend and collaborator Laura-Mary Carter (Blood Red Shoes) who co-stars with Carré, the video was shot and directed by another close friend, Mimi Supernova (Roger O’Donnell / Permafrost). The track is from her forthcoming album Couples Only (Pre-save here), out July 12 via Sonic Ritual and produced by Joe Cardamone (The Icarus Line / Dark Mark vs Skeleton Joe).
(‘Without You, Whatever’ video still)
“We shot this video while I was visiting Laura-Mary in England,” tells Callaway. “She’s one of my best friends and we also have a podcast together (Never Meet Your Idols), so having her co-star in it just added to the fun. Mimi Supernova directed and shot it – we’ve been friends for years, but this was our first time working together. We filmed it the first two days of my trip, so I was really jet-lagged and felt delirious, but that added to the wackiness of the video. We used whatever was lying around the house (rubber gloves, vacuums, fake flowers, etc.) to stage mundane domestic scenes with hints of disturbances or discomfort. Mimi has a great eye, and we have a lot of respect for each other, so the process was totally painless. Usually, making music videos is very emotional and draining for me, but this was the opposite. We just hung out, drank wine and had fun.
Atypical of the music she normally writer, “Without You, Whatever” is admittedly the only “pop” song Carré has written. “Initially, it wasn’t even going to be on the record,” laughs Carré. “When I recorded it, I was just trying to entertain Joe by singing in falsetto and trying to imitate Bowie. When I sent the folder of tracks to Tchad Blake (studio engineer – Sheryl Crow, Artic Monkeys, U2), I said ‘Oh, don’t bother mixing ‘Without You, Whatever’ because I’m not going to release it,’ and Tchad basically said, ‘WTF? That’s your single! It’s nearly impossible for me to sing because it’s so high and out of my range, but I like that it’s extremely different from anything I’ve ever released.”
Couples Only could be described as a divorce record, but really it’s much more than that. Carré’s third album is a fearless account of facing the worst betrayals and accepting the deepest losses; it’s the realization of one’s mortality and the impermanence of everything we know and cherish. Adding to the raw emotions brought on by that experience, Carré was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis a few years ago and told she may only have a decade left to live. As a result of the condition, she’s prone to episodes where her lungs fill up with blood and she’s literally drowning. If that wasn’t bad enough, two months after her diagnosis, her husband jumped ship.
Assembling a notable cadre of contributing musician friends including The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell (keyboards), Swans’ Kristof Hahn (lap steel) and the previously mentioned Blood Red Shoes’ Laura-Mary Carter (backing vocals) who appear on assorted tracks on the upcoming LP, Carré worked closely with friends and allies, including the aforementioned Joe Cardamone and Tchad Blake
What The Press Is Saying:
“With a swaggering bass rhythm and layers of sharply distorted guitars and feedback, the song [‘I Know Who You Are’] relates to Kwong’s approach to music as a means to cope with trauma, the lyrics at once ugly and cathartic at the revelation of toxicity in a relationship and the necessary separation from it.” – ReGen Magazine
“Powerful, creepy, beautiful… Callaway has often been compared to the likes of Iggy Pop or Patti Smith. That’s fair (and flattering), but if she keeps building and changing, Callaway’s music will allow no comparisons.” – BUST
“’I Know Who You Are’ commences with a slow burning, atmospheric introduction comprised of dream-like soundscapes, before heavily distorted, razor sharp guitars and Callaway’s mesmeric vocals filter in to make up the verses.” – Louder Sound
“Queen Kwong creates a romantic ballad that’s anything but. The video [‘On The Run’] doesn’t end well for the contestants, but the song is heartfelt and self-aware. You can slow-dance to this!.” – Riff Magazine
“Industrial sounding with potent lyrics and ethereal vocals, ”I Know Who You Are” melts into your brain like a liquid hot metal swirling around and hissing until finally cooled.” – Grimy Goods
“[It’s] an album that is stylistically diverse; from the dark, throbbing of ‘I Know Who You Are,’ to the fuzzy doo-wop sound of latest single ‘On the Run.'” – The Indy Review
“The experimental rock cut offers up off-kilter and ominous melodies, coupled with Callaway’s hypnotic vocals.” – Stereoboard
Queen Kwong has been making music since 2005 when she was discovered by Trent Reznor who invited her to open Nine Inch Nails’ With Teeth tour (2005), and again in 2009 and 2018. She has released two albums (Get a Witness in 2015 and Love Me to Death in 2018) and two EPs (2013’s Bad Lieutenant and 2019’s Oh Well).
Needless to say, Couples Only is Carré setting the record straight, and across these 11 songs, she takes no prisoners. It will be released on July 12, 2022 via Sonic Ritual.
Tracklist
1. I Know Who You Are
2. EMDR ATM
3. Sad Man
4. Death In Reverse
5. The Mourning Song
6. No Rules
7. Stanley (RIP)
8. On The Run
9. Biggest Mistake
10. Giver Taker Faker
11. Without You, Whatever
