“Siphon”

“Siphon”

On her forthcoming album Okovi, Zola Jesus (aka Nika Danilova) writes from a place of deep, all-consuming despair—not just for herself, but also for those dear to her. It’s a mood she explores throughout the record, in songs that mimic the viscous, amorphous sorrow of a crisis—but on “Siphon,” the urgency is front and center.

Written after a close friend attempted suicide for the second time, “Siphon” is unflinchingly direct, both lyrically and musically. The tension of the buildup is reminiscent of her 2011 album