BELLA1642 // 30 May 2025

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.”

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.