Harridan releases debut single “Memory Jar”

Based in London, Harridan is the new experimental music project of pianist and vocalist Kate Proudlove, an artist whose musical identity has been shaped by two seemingly contrasting worlds. Drawing equally from her background in indie bands and her classical training, Kate explores the space where structured composition begins to loosen into delicate sonic chaos. Under the Harridan name, those influences coalesce into a highly original sound, sitting somewhere between art song, experimental pop and alternative music.

That tension between control and unpredictability is a central pillar of Harridan’s sound and by not treating composition and experimentation as opposing forces, the project allows them to exist simultaneously, creating a haunting and immersive world filled with unconventional textures, emotional context and a strange charm. Each musical element has a distinct purpose, even when the overall effect feels deliberately unsettled, resulting in a musical output unlike any other.

Now Harridan introduces the forthcoming EP Every Word with its first single titled “Memory Jar,” a track that turns its attention towards one of the most unstable aspects of human experience, memory. Revolving around a minimalist piano performance, the song examines the unreliable and disjointed nature of remembering, alongside the instinctive desire to preserve moments that are already beginning to disappear.

“Memory Jar” doesn’t seek to reconstruct memory as a clear sequence of events, it mirrors the way recollection can fracture, repeat and transform. Sparse harmonic movement creates an atmosphere of suspension, leaving the song hovering in an unresolved space, while dissonant melodic phrases introduce a subtle sense of disturbance. Gradually, layers of looped and modulated backing vocals begin to reshape the track and what initially appears delicate becomes increasingly distorted, with the vocal textures bending and shifting around the intricate piano lines.

Opened by the soft plinks of piano as stretched vocalisations flutter above, Kate’s overlapping vocal layers gently swirl into a transportive soundscape, casting an eerie and truly spellbinding musical experience. Flowing with elegant melodies, steady rhythmic sway and picture painting lyricism, it’s a stunning display of the creativity of the Harridan project as well as Kate performance talents. Stripped back, hypnotic and entirely original, “Memory Jar” delivers an engrossing sound that’s enchanting and spellbinding in equal measure.

Wrapped in a spacious atmosphere and instilled with intimate tone, it’s a truly intriguing composition that’ firmly plants Harridan on the map of must watch artists in the UK music sphere. With the Every Word EP on the horizon, Harridan is mapping a musical world built from the friction between composition and experimental ideas. “Memory Jar” offers a compelling first window into that world, unveiling an exciting new artist with a compelling and thoroughly unique musical vision.

Listen to Memory Jar below

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