When intuition calls, Scarlett Taylor listens. The New York artist—who wields a crystal ball or a pack of tarot cards just as deftly as a microphone—has always had a penchant for the spiritual: since February 2023, she has released a new single at each new moon and full moon, reflecting her own cycle of fluctuating creative energy and her attunement with the cosmos. “On the full moon, I try to release something I just made, like the culmination of everything I’m moving towards,” she explains. “On the new moon, I try to release something that I’ve been holding onto for a while. It’s become a very beautiful thing for me.” The songs range from stripped-back demos to skittering hyperpop productions, and while Taylor’s eerie vocal melodies and creeping instrumentals evoke visions of ancient rituals, her lyrics feel simultaneously timeless and deeply rooted in 21st century life, dealing in concepts as contemporary as internet addiction and as lofty as cosmic destiny.
Now, Taylor is experimenting with a new sound. In her live performances, the singer reimagines her songs as howling rock jams, dialing the energy up to eleven and harnessing the reciprocal power of a live audience. Backed by a live band, the songs take on a new shape, an energy that Taylor knew had to be captured. “People were really liking the sound,” she says. “So we just decided to go in and record it.” Taylor and the band took to the studio in May to record Hallows, a rock-ified iteration of six previously released songs interspersed with fresh interludes. Infused with new energy and instrumentation, the songs take on a new life: “Veil (perfect timing),” the last of Taylor’s singles to be released on the new moon, transforms from a glitchy, stripped-back electronic meditation to a raucous jam session as Taylor’s voice soars above screaming guitars and crashing drums. The song is a celebration of love and destiny, inspired by a wedding Taylor attended between two witches. She was particularly moved by the story of one of the brides, who had lived as a man before meeting her partner and only recently transitioned. “In two years’ time, in perfect timing, she’s completely changed her life,” Taylor explains. “She has a new name, lives in a new state. It’s just crazy to think that two years ago she had a completely different life.”
For Taylor, transformation is always right around the corner. Through her rediscovery of the songs on Hallows, she unlocks a new form, one born from the electric energy of her live show. Guided by her instinct and intuition, the songwriter follows where the energy leads, shapeshifting between genres and exploring different production styles with each changing moon. “I feel more like I’m finding the song than like I’m thinking of it,” she explains. “It’s sort of like I’ve always known it was there, but I just had to rediscover it.”