Anna Calvi & Perfume Genius turn “I See a Darkness” into a queerly devotional fever dream.
Anna Calvi never does half intensity. This time, she has roped in Perfume Genius to reimagine Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I See a Darkness,” and the result feels like a candlelit session between two souls who’ve seen too much beauty to fear the dark. Their voices waltz around each other. Calvi’s molten guitar work flickering beneath Perfume Genius’ tremulous glow.
It’s more than a cover; it’s a confessional whispered through neon drizzle on a late London night (which, conveniently, is what the Alexander Brown directed video captures in glorious emotional high resolution). Calvi calls it “the romance of chosen family,” and damn if it doesn’t feel like a hymn to queer kinship. Those who stay, those who see, those who get it.
And while Calvi’s Substack Carving Silver in Strange Weather sounds like an avant-garde silversmith’s diary, it’s really a treasure chest for unreleased gems like this one. Between Peaky Blinders scores and Perfume Genius’ Glory, both artists remind us that darkness isn’t absence. It’s invitation.
“I See A Darkness” out now on Domino Recordings.
Lyrics_ I See A Darkness
[Intro]
Well you're my friend
(That's what you told me)
And can you see
(What's inside of me?)
[Verse 1]
Many times we've been out drinking
And many times we've shared our thoughts
But did you ever, ever notice
The kind of thoughts I got?
[Verse 2]
Well you know I have a love
A love for everyone I know
And you know I have a drive
To live I won't let go
[Pre-Chorus]
But could you see its opposition
Comes rising up sometimes?
That its dreadful end-position
Comes blacking in my mind
[Chorus]
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you
Is a hope that somehow you
Can save me from this darkness?
[Verse 3]
Well I hope that someday, buddy
We have peace in our lives
Together or apart
Alone or with our wives
That we can stop our whoring
And pull the smiles inside
And light it up forever
And never go to sleep
My best unbeaten brother
This isn't all I see
[Chorus]
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you
Is a hope that somehow you, you
Can save me from this darkness?
Passport_
Follow_
Anna Calvi : Website | Youtube | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Soundcloud
Perfume Genius on : Instagram | Bandcamp | Website | Soundcloud | Spotify
