Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.11.2019, Page 23
Artist
Stream ‘HYSTERÍA’ on Spotify.
Bow down, for the Countess of
Malaise has arrived with her long-
awaited debut album ‘HYSTERÍA.’
Coming First
It’s self-explanatory. As a woman,
you learn that you’re not supposed
to cum or say what you like in bed.
I just wanted to make things clear
from the get-go: I am that bitch and
I want to come first.
Slide Me A Brick
I’m taking space and saying I de-
serve respect and to get paid for my
shit. Brick can mean a brick of co-
caine, but I’m talking about a stack
of cash.
Mixing Up Some Potions
This one is just about having fun.
Slim Poppins is featured on it and
she’s amazing. Such a good rapper.
We decided to do something to-
gether and that was around when
she started blowing up. Rihanna
used her song “Vamanos” in her
Fenty campaign. We really clicked.
Anticipating
“Anticipating” is special because I
am singing and I haven’t done that
before. Basically Lord Pusswhip
made this beat and I tried to record
on it freestyle. I am not known for
freestyling and I’ve always been
scared of doing it. The song is about
Lord Pusswhip. It’s really vulnera-
ble and and definitely the scariest
song to put on the album. In the end
though, it’s my thing to be honest
and vulnerable so I dropped it in.
Pulse
There’s a big contrast between
“Anticipating” and “Pulse.” “Antic-
ipating” is really romantic and soft
and then you fall into the hole of
“Pulse.” I wrote it in Amsterdam
when I was hella suicidal and hella
fucked up. It was a hard time. But I
was really sick and I had this beat
on my computer and I just felt like I
wanted to die, so I wrote this song
and recorded it super sick in my
room. It was the first song I wrote
for this EP.
Taking Out The Trash
This beat reminds me of those fast-
paced animes like ‘Wicked City,’
where there’s a lot of freaky shit.
The movie is about these women
that you have sex with but then you
die, but the sex is like the best sex
of your life, so a lot of men are like,
“Fuck it.” That’s the vibe I’m going
for.
On top of that, I’ve been losing
a lot of fake friends and remov-
ing toxic people from my life and
that’s why it’s called “Taking Out
The Trash.” At some point in your
life, you realise that not every-
one around you is worth keeping
around. You gotta remove those
energy suckers. They are hindering
your growth and happiness.
Tired Of This Shit
This is a song of rage, like when the
last drop fills up your cup and you
just go fucking ham. It’s unapolo-
getic, saying fuck this shit.
Alpha Female
Arna Beth, who does my visuals,
calls herself an Alpha Female. That
is the best combination because it’s
the same as bad bitch but way more
elevated. The song is an empow-
ering song for everyone who just
doesn’t give a fuck. They go to the
club and dance as slutty as they
fucking want and don’t care what
people are thinking. I know I love to
get freaky and nasty on the dance
floor, so I wanted to do something
that people could shake their ass
to as the finale of the album. End
it on a positive, empowering, and
sexy note.
Music 23The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 20— 2019
TRACK BY TRACK
‘HYSTERÍA’ By
Countess Malaise
Get freaky, get paid, get vulnerable
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Nicola Lamburov
" I am that
bitch and I
want to come
first."
gpv.is/music
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