Recorded in London and L.A., Melancholy Fever arrives as the follow-up to Bellemare’s 2014 debut EP Live and Die, which NPR hailed as “carefully composed, but her singing makes it all feel intuitive.” On the new album Bellemare worked with producers Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello), Tony Berg (Nickel Creek), Paul O’Duffy (Amy Winehouse), and busbee (Ingrid Michaelson) to dream up a brightly arranged breed of pop, which, when paired with classic drum breaks, results in a stark and soulful sound that isn’t easily categorized
The lead single “Shenanigans,” with its soul-pop stylings and urgent rhythm, twists lyrics like “You make me feel like a crazy bitch” into an unlikely message of empowerment. “I wrote that song partly as a way to deal with a few situations where I’d come off as weak, and really wanted to prove myself,” saysGeneviève. Interview magazine recently named “Shenanigans” their TRACK OF THE WEEK.
Additionally, the striking and coy music video for the lead single recently premiered on thefader.com. The video was directed by Gus Black and can now be viewed on Vevo.
True to that real-and-soulful dynamic, the songs on Melancholy Fever capture true pain but also offer a soothing effect. “I found inspiration in my anxiety from this album and i realized I was writing a lot of the songs to help myself deal with the feelings and emotions I was having,” Bellemare points out. “It’s like I’m talking to myself in the lyrics, trying to work things out so that I can handle them better.” So while it’s bracingly honest and intimate, Melancholy Feverultimately leans toward a warm, wistful mood reflected in the album’s title. “I gravitated towards the title because when putting this album together, I couldn’t seem to get away from a song that was kind of dark… So melancholy felt very fitting. Fever as well, because I was almost unable to escape that melancholy vibe I kept putting into the microphone,” says Bellemare.