Jess Cornelius releases new single and debut album "Distance"
Here Goes Nothing video
New Zealand-born, Melbourne-bred and now Los Angeles-based Jess Cornelius will release her debut album, Distance, this Friday, and today presents new single, “Here Goes Nothing.” It follows “Kitchen Floor” and “Body Memory,” which “documents the aftermath of a miscarriage, yet has the sound of a hard-earned, springtime bloom” (NYLON). Distance celebrates newness -- new beginnings and new perspectives on endings, from the chaos of a vagabond lifestyle to having a child just weeks before the album’s release (Cornelius had her baby the same day the last single, “Body Memory,” was shared).
On “Here Goes Nothing,” Cornelius parries with a messy affair, her voice deep-hued over dusky instrumentation and whistling by Molly Lewis. “Nothing kills lust like real life” she sings with a hint of a sneer, reveling in her adroit summation. “‘Here Goes Nothing’ is about fantasy, really – the way we unconsciously create dramatic situations as an escape from whatever in our lives isn’t working. But I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. We need fantasy – you could argue that we’ve built entire lives on it,” says Cornelius.
Cornelius elaborates on the video: "The lyric video is the final in the Distance ‘pregnancy trilogy.’ I saw the breast pump not only as a rhythmic device and a weird visual image, but also as a meeting of human and machine; as a literal mechanical representation of ‘women’s work’; and as a reflection of how context changes (or doesn’t change) the way women’s bodies are viewed. This last point was made apparent in the video’s initial removal by Youtube for violating content rules – thankfully, after lodging an appeal the video was reinstated."
Cornelius was not able to do the last live stream as her baby was born that day. However, she’ll present her first live performance as a mum via her Instagram tomorrow, Thursday 23 July at 1:00pm AEST.
Distance is available for sale here
“[Distance] recalls contemporaries like Feist and Sharon Van Etten at its finest, blending synth-rock, breezy beach pop, and tender folk. But ‘Body Memory’ is the album’s centerpiece, with Cornelius singing about corporality and mind-body connectivity with sensitivity and poise.” - Rolling Stone
“‘Kitchen Floor’ is an excellent showcase and calling card for Cornelius. As it becomes immediately clear on ‘Kitchen Floor’ she’s got an impassioned, soulful, and demanding voice.” - WXPN, Song of the Week