It’s hard to be objective when you’re reviewing one of your longstanding favorite songwriters. “Ruin,” the new track from Cat Power’s just announced album Sun marks the first original material we’ve heard from Chan Marshall in 6 years. The song borders on dance and showcases a more upbeat and bright side of Cat Power than we’ve ever heard. Eschewing her more recent trend toward traditional, blues instrumentation, the song feels like a more pop version of the direction Marshall headed with “Free” from You are Free. In the short Austin Conroy directed video for the song, Marshall sports a super-short haircut and scrawls the word “ruin” in gold spraypaint. It’s an unexpected, strange departure. It’s also completely wonderful. Stream, watch, and download below.
Download: Cat Power – Ruin
