Maltese singer-songwriter, Claire Marante reached the crowning point of her career with the release of her trip-hop-tinted pensive titan of an art-pop installation, You Want Me, which gives a voice to the female protagonist in the lust-fuelled story portrayed in Elvis Costello’s single, I Want You.
The imagination that went into the concept of the single in itself is a triumph, but that scarcely scratches the surface of the depth within this heart-wrenching downtempo release that anyone who has suffered sexual abuse will find consolation within. If you’re nefarious enough to be a perpetrator, prepare to witness the ugly truth of your lascivious actions.
The three chapters within the deeply conceptual single, You Want Me, Hold Me Down, and I Can’t Breathe, create a heart-rending narrative as Claire Marante tentatively moves through the harrowing three-part chronicle, reflecting how hard it can be to voice the agony of sexual abuse, which ripples through our identity with a force strong enough to tear at the seams of our soul.
You Want Me is the precursor to Claire Marante’s upcoming EP which is being primed for a September 2024 release. Expect more intersections of pained introspection to be explored by the artist who never shies away from sonically confronting visceral emotion.
Stream Claire Marante’s single, You Want Me on YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast