Ailise Blake unveils new single “Apollo (The Attraction Towards the Sun)” ahead of second album “Soave”
Ailise Blake unveils new single “Apollo (The Attraction Towards the Sun)” ahead of second album “Soave”
Italian-born, France-based ethereal musician Ailise Blake, also known as Ali Macabre, has announced her second full-length album, “Soave”. The release is scheduled for 7 November 2025 on the Italian label These Hands Melt, and will be available in digital, CD, and limited vinyl and cassette formats. Ahead of the album, she has revealed the first single and video, “Apollo (The Attraction Towards the Sun)”.
The album is now already available in pre-order.
“Soave” follows Blake’s 2020 debut “Songs From The Uncanny Valley” and was written, recorded, produced, and mixed entirely by the artist in her studio located in a remote mountain village. Blake describes the process as “a solitary and intense period of self-reflection.”
“I wanted to record Soave in my studio, which is located in a remote village at the top of a mountain, in the middle of a forest, alone, during winter, when my village is practically empty,” Ailise Blake says. “I’ve spent months in the dark writing, I didn’t talk to people for extended periods of time, and I didn’t listen to any music but my own. I wanted this experience to be as close as possible to what could be defined as a hermit’s journey, but mostly, I wanted it to be honest, and as raw as possible, keeping the production of this album a radical one.”
Ailise Blake adds that the title reflects both sound and meaning: “I titled this album ‘Soave’ not only because of the sound of the word itself, which to my ears sounds like the wind, but because for me, soave is what we perceive silently beneath the action of everyday life, that veil of calm and stillness found when we stop to listen to ourselves; it represents the light and the tenderness, yet it is still and untouchable, it is alchemical, it is transcendental, it gives a sense of peace completely subjective to the mind that perceives it.”
The album is closely tied to Blake’s exploration of esoteric practices. “This album is part of my initiatic journey and is intertwined with what we westerners call Ceremonial Magick, specifically the one that is practised at the heart of the Thelemic Order of the Ordo Templi Orientis,” she explains. “It is an album for everyone and an album for those who transmit the Current 93. What I desire the most with this work is to be able to convey that sense of stillness of the mind, to enable the listener to take a breath when we cannot do so on our own.”
“Soave” will be issued in several editions: a limited ‘ginger haze’ 12″ LP vinyl (150 copies), CD Digipack, limited cassette tape (100 copies), and digital. The artwork was created by Ailise Blake, with layout by Lucia Macip and These Hands Melt. Mastering was handled by Nikolaus Jira.
About Ailise Blake
Ailise Blake began her solo work after performing with the bands J.C. Satan and La Secte du Futur. She released her debut album “Songs From The Uncanny Valley” in 2020.
Her sound can be best described as spectral folk, combining dark, moody, and ethereal songwriting. Recommended to fans of Darkher, Midwife and Chelsea Wolfe” to Current 93, Midwife and grouper. .
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
