Lung Bread for Daddy
The new album out on Moshi Moshi Records
Du Blonde may sound like a band, but in fact it is, and always has been, the work of just one person. Beth Jeans Houghton.
From her time spent in Los Angeles, living off 50 cent coffee and midnight walks along palm lined streets, an anxiety riddled ex boyfriend with a gun collection and the encroachment of a biological clock that feels more societal than physical, Lung Bread For Daddy is one person’s first hand account of what it feels like to be leaving their 20’s in an age where economic and political factors see those of her generation unable to imagine a stable future, and the psychological effects of living in a world in which success is seemingly measured not on kindness of heart, moral compass and individuality, but upon notoriety, youth, beauty and conformity.
Lung Bread For Daddy sees a meeting in which Beth’s previous two albums, 2015’s ‘Welcome Back To Milk’ and her debut ‘Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose’, take a seat at the table and make amends. The raucous guitars and driving melodic bass lines of her last album remain, but step aside at key moments throughout the record to make space for the dynamic and soulful song writing for which she originally became known.
Lyrically, she is not afraid to speak honestly about the discomfort of her experiences, be they at the hands of another, or purely her own doing. Album opener ‘Coffee Machine’ sees Du Blonde sitting in a room, surrounded by material gifts, but ultimately alone. ‘I’d rather have the man than the coffee machine’ she sings of her desire for human connection, before releasing a howl of rage and a guitar riff so heavy it could only be the sound of a person within the grips of emotional agony. For all of the seriousness of Lung Bread For Daddy, Du Blonde’s notorious humour, often employing the uncomfortable and grotesque, has not been subdued. From bloody sheets, pubic hair and apathy towards dating, she remains blunt and unforgiving. “From a young age I've been drawn to the absurd, self-deprecating and sarcastic. That's how I learned to deal with the world and the pains that come with it. And that's reflected in my lyrics.” Houghton finds enjoyment in speaking the truth, and a freedom in owning her own embarrassment and bad decisions. “There’s a sick pleasure to be found in writing honestly and grotesquely.”
The past three years have seen Beth grow both musically and artistically. From her comic book ‘Butt Hurt’, to her large scale acrylic paintings, a nearly completed novel, and her animated music videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ezra Furman, she continues to feed her insatiable thirst for creation on her own terms. A thirst that has seen her take charge of every aspect of Lung Bread For Daddy including the brutal self portrait that adorns the cover of this record. Painted from a photograph taken during one of her lowest points, the image depicts Beth devoid not only of makeup, but self worth and confidence. “I look tired and pretty much destroyed, which is a feeling I’ve known many times over; in the aftermath of relationships and that of making a record. Lyrically the album is very naked so I’m carrying on the nudity of my previous album covers, only this time it’s emotional instead of physical.” She says.
We first met Beth at 18, filled with a desire for creation, travel, adventure and experience. Lung Bread For Daddy is Beth at 28. She has created, travelled and experienced for 10 years straight, she has lived between London and Los Angeles, spent 5 months sleeping on a plastic air mattress during 100 degree heat, road tripped across the united states with strangers, endured a nervous breakdown, yielded to psychiatric medication, endured both positive and abusive relationships and learnt from both. She has documented it all in Lung Bread For Daddy.