Wax Chattels' new album Clot is mere weeks away from release; three in fact. Instead of making us wait, Wax Chattels have released the third and final single: Cede.
Video by Wax Chattels. Director - Amanda Cheng. Director of Photography/Editor - Callum Devlin. Producer - Annabel Kean. Production Company - Sports Team.
Lead singer and bassist Amanda Cheng leaves a significant mark on this song and video. She is its director, and in parts she sings in her native Taiwanese Hokkien. Amanda Cheng on Cede:
“I am angry. Saying “you don’t know who I am” in Taiwanese Hokkien is to say “you don’t get to tell me who I am”. You don’t just scream like this to put on an album — you scream like this because it’s the only thing you can do.
This song is an affront to the near-silent cultural genocide that’s taking place — the censorship, the militant threats — and the international community’s insistence on practicing diplomacy with economics at the front of mind. If it takes a loud song that’s half in an unfamiliar language for people to ask, “what’s that about?”, then so be it.”
Cheng's direction supports the fury expressed in the song. “I set out to make a video that was unenjoyable to watch; unhinging a domestic, ‘safe’ setting. To contrast the blunt lyrics, the thematic statements in the video are more subtle — there’s a geopolitical narrative there, but you’ll miss it.”
Clot comes out September 25th via Flying Nun Records and Captured Tracks. Pre-orders are available here.