Miranda Lee Richards Gets Existential

The past year has been a fruitful one for singer/songwriter Miranda Lee Richards: the release of her fourth album, Echoes of the Dreamtime; tours in America and overseas; and soundtrack work for the new Viceland series Jungletown. Richards’ latest, Existential Beast, offers a beguiling hybrid of the dulcet sounds she dubs “dusty country” and “fairy folk.” It’s also an overtly political album (there’s even an 11-minute protest song) that embodies its times.

“In essence, we are all still working within those animal urges of fear, competition, survival and sexuality which are deep-seeded and manifesting in varying ways and degrees for different individuals, depending on where they are at,” Richards explains. “But like it or not, these tendencies have been revealed, within our leaders, our countries and ourselves; it is indeed a pivotal and transformational time and there is much work to be done.” We second that emotion. Existential Beast arrives June 16 via the Invisible Hands label.

Photo by Susan Moll.