The idea to start the multi-pronged musical project that became known as Goddess came to Fay Milton clear-eyed, confident, and fully-formed. The band for which she had been the drummer, the much-lauded, two-time Mercury Prize nominated post-punk quartet Savages, were on hiatus, and while she had picked up some session drumming, she felt like she had a larger creative project in her. She knew that she wanted to honour the deep sisterhood that forms when female and non-binary musicians collaborate, and that the project would centre the community that she had built in the London independent music scene. There would be emotional range, strength, vulnerability, truth, and joy. There would also be a glimmer of Savages, as she knew her first collaborator would be Ayse Hassan, the band’s bassist, whose thunderous playing has always been the perfect complement to Fay’s ferocious drums. After years of planning, writing and recording, Goddess’ self-titled debut album is here. An epic 10-track opus of post-punk, electronica, dream-pop and indie-rock, the album is performed by a revolving cast of vocalists, bringing their own unique flavour and flair to each individual track. “With this project, I have come out from behind the drums and stepped into the producer role, allowing the feminine energy to run strong from the start to the finish of the creative process”, comments Fay Milton. The idea of Goddess stems from the curiosity of what happens when you bring creative spirits together in interesting new combinations.”
There were other deeply personal reasons that Fay sought out a bevy of collaborators for Goddess. She had spent much of the 2010s touring, traveling the world experiencing the type of professional highs most musicians only dream of. She knew she would continue creating music, but one topic in particular had begun to infiltrate her creative practice, and in doing so, changed the way she approached her craft forever.
“Around the time that Savages went on hiatus, I started thinking about the climate crisis and realizing how existential it is.” This realization led to Fay co-founding the climate activism charity Music Declares Emergency in 2019, whose mission is to give both music industry professionals as well as music fans a platform to demand government action to stop the climate crisis. As Music Declares Emergency began to grow, launching the NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET campaign with artists like Billie Eilish and Radiohead, Fay still found herself pursuing her passion for music and songwriting, but with a totally fresh perspective. How can one engage in the music industry while keeping in mind a commitment to climate activism?
“I couldn't really justify being someone who continues to jump on a plane every day,” says Fay. “I realised that if you're not planning to tour, that's a creative parameter that opens up a lot of freedom. You can have a different singer on every track and bring in instruments like harp and strings”. Thus Goddess was born—sitting squarely at the cross-section of a band, an artist collective, an exercise in collaboration, and a musical manifesto, Fay has created something that is both deeply personal and uses her considerable talent to bring together artists from all over the world to build something bigger than the sum of its parts.
As the project grew, Goddess became about much more than recording an album—it became about finding solace in a world that was becoming increasingly uncertain and calamitous, and providing hope and emotional release through the communal power of creating music. In assembling a crew of artists that inspire her, Fay tapped into the female spirit of open collaboration, a potent salve in dressing the wounds inflicted on us by rampant individualism.
Conceptually, Goddess is somewhat akin to say, Massive Attack or Desert Sessions—a musical experience where genre is more of a guideline than a fixed ethos, where each featured artist is allowed the space and freedom to make their song their own, all while under the guardianship of a visionary leader. Musically Goddess is eclectic, but more than that, it feels as if Fay has been able to connect all these disparate and singular vibes into one living, breathing whole, that demands the listener devour every minute in order to appreciate every single interwoven thread.
Goddess opens with the brooding and emotionally charged “Little Dark”, which features vocals by Shingai, ex-frontwoman of The Noisettes and one of Fay’s closest friends. Chronicling a late-night walk through London in the aftermath of the pandemic, “Little Dark” balances the crystal-clear harmony of Shingai’s voice with the track’s tenebrous undertones. “We've been really close friends for many, many years. We've had many late night jams, but getting in the studio to do a song together opened up a new depth to our relationship, both musically and as friends.”
Another longtime friend/first-time collaborator is Elena Tonra, who records as Ex:Re, and came up with Fay in London as the lead singer of the band Daughter. “She’s also a really close friend,” says Fay. Elena lends her feather-light, knife-sharp vocals to the lead single off of Goddess, “Shadows”, a track that showcases everything that gives the project its unique identity.
Two other highlights from Goddess share a similar noise-pop DNA: the R&B-tinged “Animal” and the all-out electro freakout “Fuckboy”. “Animal” features North London DIY icon and singer of feminist punk band Skinny Girl Diet, Delilah Holliday, as she gives voice to the sexy beast within all of us. “Fuckboy” is perhaps the most heavy and rhythmic track on the record, a pulsating slice of industrial rock and electronic dance that features singer/visual artist Salvia, delivering inscrutable lyrics about taking delight in the grotesque.
There are no two vocalists alike on Goddess, and this is completely by design. Astute listeners will notice that of the 10 featured singers, all are female/non-binary, which was a conscious decision on Fay’s part. It’s a nod to the female representation that has been a through-line in her career, while also simply wanting to showcase the artists that she finds the most exciting. “All of the vocalists I was finding most interesting and inspiring were female and non-binary. Gender is not a topic of the Goddess album in any way, but it is a creative parameter of the project, and a very important one. The album is not about gender, but it's working with gender as a creative tool.”
At its core, Goddess compiles all of the things that have seen Fay through this new creative chapter of her life, from her ever-evolving musicianship, through to her climate activism to her fascination with female and non-binary creativity. The name Goddess may seem a little audacious, but it’s not about self-deification, on the contrary–it’s about celebrating the beauty and spirit alive in everyone.
