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SENSE

by Kira May

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1.
Taste 05:10
When I taste the sun, I hope to get a burn A permanent impression of Heaven Hallelujah! All the flavour bursts around me The honeyed world drips with sugar like a candy Suckled, savoured and cradled Too sweet to swallow Every sensation grows until I start to choke One by one each pleasure leaves me With no reason Old sun, I see you die From burning so bright Old sun, I see you’ll blind If I stare all of the time When I taste the sun, I hope to get a burn A permanent expression of Heaven Old sun, I see you die From burning so bright. Old sun, I see you’ll blind If I stare all of the time Every sensation is a treasure Every muscle remembers Every sensation is a dagger Every muscle remembers
2.
We learn a lot While we are still soft Twist the omen into knots This muscle is my home, it is my haven & it is not enough All we do is talk about boys Imagine they will take off our clothes But we are not ourselves fully formed So no one should know All we do is talk about girls The playing field is littered with words And every single one is a spy Inside of my mind & It’s weighing me down A few years later We fight a lot Now that we have grown hard And it’s always my fault This muscle is my home, it is my haven & I’ll never come out When all we do is talk about love I can’t even open my mouth You’re turning all of my words around into yours When all we do is talk about boys Every single word is a noise The playing field is littered with shells With no yoke
3.
Heat 05:20
You hold the sun down low Your hands sink in my throat We melt into the road Cracked skin and blackened bones The heat moves up It rises Cloud bursts, humidity falls Fattening every little cell, it heals them all Welcoming the wash with wide, open jaws Drinking in the flood & sliding on the mud The steam moves up & dries us If ever I’m a waterfall Your hands could never hold it all If ever I am a cup too small The mighty thunderstorm cannot be held
4.
Saturation 05:31
Back when you were too young, You hum and you are where you run. One day you are too old You were scorned, so where you run You will not go Oh, my heart breaks & I am out of breath Oh, my lungs ache & I am close to death This time I’m not OK. Come down, calm down High speed, everything is here! All at once, all you want But I’m not. People are falling down on me All their thoughts, oh my god! Knock me out Oh, my heart races & I am out of breath Oh, my lungs blaze & I am close to death This time I’m not OK Raise the ground up to my height until I come down
5.
Wait for the stone to grow Before you cross the sand Wait for the wave to stand alone If I turn off myself Can I still the seasons That kill the tiger lily beneath us? Throw the stone far away from your home And throw the wave far away if you can hold it Float down this river & let go It’s just liquid If I turn on myself Can I still the seasons That yield the tiger lily & just appreciate it?
6.
Touch 05:52
All the days & changing winds, I feel its force and gentleness. It cuddles me & blows kisses and Darkens the sky I resist Overhead, a giant hand Spinning webs of silver thread One finger graces my flesh Blood rises and burns Oh, why do I want you? Why do I want to-- I long to touch you But it hurts A growling thunderstorm Gathers over my head, spreading fingers Ignites a current Heart beats violently Lungs function again A giant hand drilling holes Inside my head Your touch is really soft So still it’s almost gone Just a pattern remains on my skin
7.
Vibrations 07:11
Say nothing, Reach out and touch. Every limb & beat is fast asleep. I feel your spark rise up in the dark, And every little nerve flies up. Your vibration grows inside of me & I’m Creator, sensitivity. Your vibration grows inside of me & I’m Destroyer, electricity. Lightning ignites ghosts in my bed, They move even though they are dead. Lightning soars & I feel a pulse. A little bit of heat and change creates a storm. Your vibration grows inside of me, & I’m Creator, sensitivity. Your vibration grows inside of me, & I’m Destroyer, electricity. And you are here to stay. No surprise, No malice or stars in your eyes. Electrify until I’m on fire! I’m a house on fire, I’m a surge of power.
8.
Fear 06:58
Why am I so afraid of the flame? So afraid of the pain? I’ll hold out my hand & feel the fire. Oh you’ve got to burn Or you’ll never learn, And there’s something that I want to tell you But it will hurt. So you want to run away, Unhear what you heard. Don’t feel discouraged! And feel my message. I fear I’ve lost a lifeline, I fear I’ve lost a lifetime. Oh you stubborn girl, Won’t you ever learn? Keep on pushing and pushing through fire And you will earn it. So you want to run away So you want to run away So you want to run away… I fear I’ve lost a lifeline I fear I’ve lost a lifetime I am a friend I am an enemy who’s friendly But I don’t hear a sound. I swear you were there looking down on me. I swear you said that the reward is sweet, It’s so sweet. I fear I’ve lost a lifeline I fear I’ve lost a lifetime I am a friend, I am an enemy who’s friendly
9.
Forgiveness 05:02
I wander forever to get to the centre It’s unending & I’m tired This escarpment is a spiral Something above me pushes me over and upwards Away from my loved ones I’m crying ‘cos I don’t see them, I don’t see them No, I don’t see them And I wonder if she is a mother if she just conceives it And life never leaves her? A white light around us is humming, I can feel it It is my birthright, No--it’s a searchlight! I’ve already bled out Oh, I can feel it The mothers are becoming & I feel them Is there a reason for this? There is.
10.
Waves 03:02
O Sedna Conceived by your father In a bedroom surrounded by fire O Sedna Destroyed by your father Cast out of a vessel encircled by water Your fingers & your bones Dropped down to the ocean floor Life grows where there was No life before I am ruined, I am born Out of the wreckage of her bones She is with me now, I am her She is coming to the surface She is beautiful, resurrects & gives her body to the ocean What her father pushes overboard Mother receives her & transforms

credits

released May 4, 2018

Songs & words by Kira May
Voice, samples & beats by Kira May
Guitar & bass & piano for “Heat” by Charles Tilden
Drums by Steven Foster
Trumpet by Tara Kannangara
Trombone by Aidan Sibley
Piano on “Waves” by Chris Pruden
Produced by Kira May & Sandro Perri
Engineered by Sandro Perri at 6 Nassau and Sonology
Mixed by Sandro Perri
Mastered by Milan Schramek at Lacquer Channel Mastering
Recorded, mixed & mastered in Toronto, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat and, most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. I am grateful to live and create on this land and in this territory.

Photography by Adnan Khan
Cover design by Kira May

"Waves" is inspired by the traditional Inuit story of Sedna, the goddess of the sea.

This album was made possible by the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR.

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Kira May Toronto, Ontario

Toronto artist Kira May uses her voice to build otherworldly art-pop songs that are lush, visceral and emotional. Influences ranging from Björk to Steve Reich to Kanye West come together to create a broad and explorative palette of sound. May’s current work explores themes of pleasure, over-stimulation, panic and depression. ... more

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