Ora Cogan explores radical intimacy on the lead single of her new album for Sacred Bones, Hard-Hearted Woman.
The video for Ora Cogan’s ‘Honey,’ the first single off the Vancouver singer/songwriter’s debut for Sacred Bones, Hard-Hearted Woman, shows Cogan whipping the occupants of a rundown honky tonk into an ecstasy of unbridled, un-self-conscious movement. Cogan comes swirling in, all braids and infectious motion, inspiring a wallflower to grab his trumpet and lay down some Tejano brass. The tumult attracts a wealthy socialite while another woman brandishes a broadsword in the corner. Cowboys line dance. The Devil meditates beneath a disco ball. By the end of its almost four-and-a-half minute runtime, everybody is dancing with everybody as Cogan’s laidback country strum and seesawing country strings sail off into the sunset.
Lyrically, Cogan addresses the album’s “hard-hearted woman,” which feels either ironic or else an exploration of the idea of creating safe spaces to foster radical intimacy. She sings about the “hard-hearted woman” with her “gunmetal smile,” but virtually nothing in “Honey” seems particular armored. If anything, it’s the opposite. “Honey” feels like a celebration of sheer, unapologetic expression. She does what she wants to do, someone watching does what they want to do and, before you know it, it’s a total dance party, full of acceptance and learning, communication and community.
“Honey” is the first single off of Cogan’s highly-anticipated new album, Hard-Hearted Woman, which is due out on March 13 on Sacred Bones, followed by a tour of the UK and Ireland.
Ora Cogan Tour Dates:
March 13 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl (Album Release Show)
March 19 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
March 20 – Oxford, UK @ The Nest
March 21 – Manchester, UK @ Yes Pink Room
March 22 – Newcastle, UK @ The Lubber Fiend
March 24 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
March 25 – Glasgow, UK @ Room 2
March 27 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
March 28 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
March 29 – Cork, IE @ Wavelength at Cyprus Avenue
April 1 – Sheffield, UK @ Sidney & Matilda
April 2 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
April 3 – London, UK @ Dingwalls
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