Release Radar: Chantel Van T ‘Petrichor’
Chantel Van T singer-songwriter, actress and poet from Cape Town marks 2020 as the year she gives life to her solo career. Her third single, 'Petrichor', from her debut album Nicalochan is out September 18th.
Petrichor, meaning the smell of rain on the ground in nature, mourns its own memory in this darker track of grungy cityscapes. This single showcases the first of these darker tones that feature on the album. In its feeling, the song conveys the aftermath of overwhelm that follows a downpour without the redemption of the scent of wet earth. Petrichor also symbolises trying to find ones’ way out: out of the city, out of ones' burdens and out of ones' struggles - "Though I feel blind, light strikes me down".
Chantel has carved out a spectacular album that announces the arrival of an independent artist with a fervent intention to both haunt and uplift the listener. Chantel is no stranger to the stage, already a familiar and renowned persona as the lead vocalist for South African, Space Rock band Diamond Thug.
‘Written after a big storm while recording in Berlin. The lights were dim and the skies were still grey but there was a stillness in the air and there I was reminiscing of being in nature after such a downpour. “Nothing like bare earth showing off its bursts".’ - Recalls Chantel.
