Reb Fountain Lacuna

New Zealand alternative folk artist, Reb Fountain, has shared the third single "Lacuna" from her upcoming record IRIS. "LACUNA" is a revelation; the perfect song for our re-emergence. IRIS is out via Flying Nun Records on October 1st , 2021 on both black and turquoise vinyl, CD and digitally.

A steady drum and deep bass carry Reb's mesmerizing voice in "Lacuna" flawlessly. The single features a groovy guitar solo that'll have you in a trance; making you feel like you're on a psychedelic, spiritual journey with Reb herself singing you through it. The lyrics speak of this spiritual experience by telling the tale of a woman who found herself and her voice.

"Songs help us stop lying to ourselves,'' said Reb. Diving into the deeper meaning of the song's lyrics, Reb continues, "What a way to start kisses in the dark. There is strong loyalty to the secret; the social contract which binds us to the burden of the unsaid. The tension between devotion to the lie - masquerading as protection - and the desire to protect oneself, can render us absent to even the starkest of realities.

She slept through the war. There is some comfort in avoiding the storm, beating one's wings against the glass ceiling wondering why you cannot reach the sky. Yet flying is what we do. And the weight of seeing the space that you do not fill can become too heavy to bear; where any solace gained from hiding from one's truth is a poor reward for silence. 

I couldn't see but ripples in the water told me something's out there. Songwriting is an opportunity to find agency, where experiences and life become transformed through story. We start to see ourselves as whole - imagine that which is already out there - searching for some way out and into ourselves. 

The sum of us apart. What's it like to grow into oneself, to wrestle with the intangible nature of our human condition, to see who we are. Unifying our many selves - the sum of our parts - we embrace the full complexities of the whole … uneasy, unsteady and uncomfortable but united and inexorably present.

Now my roots are extending. Lacuna is the space for our voice to emerge into. A new dance that welcomes you into the void, to the all. It's a reckoning, an opportunity to expand and contract anew.  Welcome."

The music video for "Lacuna" was shot in Queenstown, New Zealand by director Lola Fountain-Best.  Reb envisioned an exploration and transformation; a dance with our many selves. She fashioned wings out of wire and foliage and they went to work filming rogue amongst autumnal skies and a forest of sunflowers.

The perfect extension of her 2020 self-titled record, IRIS elevates Reb Fountain's music to new heights. Reb effortlessly combines pop elements with her trademark noir folk-punk sound; weaving authentic and anthemic tunes that create an instant and indelible impression. Written during lockdown in 2020, Reb has said on the album, "Writing a song a day to keep myself grounded and productive during lockdown, IRIS provided me an opportunity to speak my unspoken, to reflect what I have seen and experienced from within and to bear witness."

Speaking on the upcoming album, Reb says, "Iris is in many ways an unsung hero, known as the goddess of the rainbow, sea and sky, she acts as bridge between the gods to humanity with little of her own story known. So many stories go unheard, so many aspects of our humanity are unsung; visibility is a contested and inequitable space where what is essential, and of beauty, is often 'invisible'. I wanted and needed to give voice to this essential human spirit; to conjure and hold and commune with the very real, valid and invaluable voices within and around me."

In May 2020, Reb Fountain released her self-titled album via New Zealand label Flying Nun Records to much critical acclaim. Reb Fountain won the 2021 Taite Music Prize, was shortlisted for the Silver Scroll Award for her song "Don't You Know Who I Am," and the album Reb Fountain was nominated for five New Zealand Music Awards; Album of the Year, Best Alternative, Best Solo Artist, Best Album Artwork and Best Engineer.
The award-winning songwriter, Reb Fountain, is a consummate recording artist and performer; spell-bounding audiences with her music and artistry alike. Throughout 2020, Reb and her all-star band astounded audiences around the country on her sold out album release tour, joined Crowded House on their 13 date, 'To The Island Tour', performed at Splore, and honoured the great Nick Cave at the sold out Auckland Town Hall show, 'The Boy Next Door'.

Reb was born in San Francisco and immigrated with her family from North America to Lyttelton " the quiet port town out of Christchurch that's been fundamental to New Zealand's alt-folk scene, raising artists like Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, and Delaney Davidson.