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The Night Country

by Everson Poe

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1.
My name is a curse upon your lips My blood is a vessel for your malice My eyes, sunken like ships on fire You wrap me in a shroud of death A wax simulacrum of my broken body You press yourself against me as I melt Seeping into every hidden space Would you have mourned the loss of me? Poured me into a vessel and lit the wick? What value lies in true possession of a soul? How can I release this guilt? Would you have mourned the loss of me? Poured me into a vessel and lit the wick? What value lies in true possession of a soul? How can I release this guilt? I use it as a weapon against myself You Have failed me Of your own volition
2.
They don’t They don’t They don’t ever ask permission They don’t They don’t They don’t ever ask forgiveness They don’t They don’t They don’t ever see you suffer They don’t They don’t They don’t ever face the consequence Scarred with fear Plagued by guilt Wash yourself Of this filth They don’t They don’t They don’t ever ask permission They don’t They don’t They don’t ever ask forgiveness Bury it so deep That you don’t know it’s there Never shall I sleep Lest I become despair Those three questions you were asked You shall know them only when I come back Sinless hands, stolen grace Violations you were unable to face I would take your place Golden hairs, plucked with ease When you wake, tell me what you have seen Scrying mirror, lined with bones Hold your tongue, now Ferry me to the shore I would take your place One letter condemns you The other will bring salvation Cut off your hands And give them to the devil He will never take your soul
3.
Turn back, turn back Thou bonny bride Nor in this house Of death abide
4.
He approaches with a wickedness so vile Tangled ‘round his throat to hide a vicious smile Beard of blue and bloodshot eyes on noble face Carve the key of grey mare’s bone, enchanted grace He has such secrets He hides them away Never breach the golden door On the hooks they hang He consumes the flesh of those he has defiled Dripping down his chin, the blood of all his wives Beard of blue and bloodshot eyes on noble face Grotesque and feral in his pure, unbridled rage He has such secrets He hides them away Never breach the golden door On the hooks they hang Nightmares by the sea Chambers sealed to me Bloody from the grave Ghosts of the depraved You can’t help yourself Curiosity Just unlock the door—grasp the knob, turn the key Hold your lantern high with such bravery Shed the light upon chamber most unsavory All his victims line the walls Bloody footprints down the halls With his dagger he slit their throats Second nature Death by rote He’ll never let me leave He’ll never let me go Now that I’ve used the key Now that I know Beneath the serpent’s gaze The fruit so ripe to pluck Temptation of the will The juice so sweet to suck He’ll never let me leave He’ll never let me go Now that I’ve used the key Now that I know He lights the lanterns low and tells me I am mad He tells me of a life that I have never had There comes a clamor from above The faintest whisper in my ear The ghosts surround me as I sleep And manifest my greatest fear Mine is the next name on his list Mine is the next life he will claim Some things are not for us to know Some secrets rob us of our souls Some chambers are locked without a key Desire, I am a slave to thee His broad frame His cold gaze His stained teeth His warm prey
5.
She will devour her children Blood red upon the white snow She will devour her children Power bestowed upon the old crone Fire stoked by bones Grey smoke turns to red Cold earth turned by tills Cold flesh turns to worms She has devoured her children No remorse for what she has done She made a true devil’s bargain Evil begotten in place of a son She has devoured her children She has devoured her children Fire stoked by bones Grey smoke turns to red Cold earth turned by tills Cold flesh turns to worms A millstone hung around her neck Her toes are lapped by water’s edge A calling from the murky depths By magic has the lake been dredged The affectation of the heartless Cold apathy in sharp relief Blinded by what is perceived to be righteous Radiance shielding deceit Sorrow etched into my skin The indignation of the righteous Cold apathy in sharp relief Blinded by what is perceived to be evil Empathy poisoned by grief Sorrow etched into my skin O, what a pretty bird am I My mother slew her little son My father thought me lost and gone My sister, my bones she kept And laid me to rest beneath the juniper tree O, what a pretty bird am I O, what a pretty bird am I My mother slew her little son My father thought me lost and gone My sister o’er my bones did weep And laid me to rest beneath the juniper tree

about

TREPREC084

"This is why it is [nigh] on impossible to define Everson Poe into any one genre, unless ‘terrifying horror soundscape nightmare’ music has become a thing in the last few weeks. It’s nightmarish but in a completely enthralling way. Definitely not for in the car with the children, but more for when you need to let it all out and want something that matches your ferocity. The Night Country, will give you a trip in to hell that you won’t soon forget." -The Sleeping Shaman

"Many years of making music alone have taught Shults to express complex emotions so effectively that it barely matters if you can understand her lyrics—I can’t make out most of what she’s saying over the dense barrage of drums that cannonballs through the second half of “I Am the Maker of My Own Evil,” but the agonized desperation in her shriek does what language can’t." -The Chicago Reader

"From the raw beauty and range of her vocals to the bewitching melodies and emotive guitar work, The Night Country is a dense and immersive record that deserves to be heard by a large audience." -Astral Noize

"Do not look for simple listening pleasure, because then you will really be disappointed. Listen to the music as if you are undergoing an emotional drain, something like a big cleanup. An intestinal flush, but for your braincase. This is not the easy way back home, but rather a sinister maze from which you have to find the exit yourself." - Zware Metalen

Everson Poe is back with the new album “The Night Country” after an unusually lengthy period of silence. Written and recorded in the first few months of 2021, Mae Shults returns to form by filtering her own life experiences, including her struggles with mental health and gender identity, through the lens of pop culture. This time around, she uses the allegorical and universal nature of fairy tales to craft songs that are both wonderfully narrative and emotionally devastating.

In the middle of the creation of “The Night Country”, Mae was hospitalized, and also ended a ten year romantic partnership. She emerged a new woman with an insatiable hunger for life that she had never experienced before. Mae used this as motivation to craft a new collection of Everson Poe material centered around the agency (or lack thereof) that women in our culture are able to achieve. Fairy tales often deal with transformation as a means of punishment for indiscretions against the strict rules imposed upon women. Whether they experience imprisonment, death, or actual transfiguration into different beings, women are often seen as possessors of evil. They supposedly lead men into temptation and challenge established systems, so they must be put in their place in order to maintain the status quo. Mae was fascinated and frustrated by the fact that these have been themes throughout history, and that the lessons of many fairy tales boil down to the message that one cannot step out of line to alleviate their own suffering at the cost of the patriarchal society in which we reside.

Once again enlisting the expertise of db (The Sun Came Up Upon The Left, Populace, AISTEACH, Revered And Reviled Above All Others) for some musical contributions and their expert ear, “The Night Country” has been crafted with the utmost care. Mae has utilized several vocal styles that have never been heard from her before, making this album even more unique in the Everson Poe catalog. Additionally, the interlude track, “The House Of Death” was composed and performed by Chris H (The Earth Devoured By The Sun, Nehushtan, Witch Window, etc.) in less than 24 hours, to which Mae then added vocals, making it the first Everson Poe song with zero musical contributions by Mae. Many of the songs also contain dialogue samples from the film “Possession”, a kind of modern fairy tale in itself that deals with the same themes and issues. These help create an even more unsettling atmosphere within “The Night Country” and make it all the more engrossing.

credits

released February 25, 2022

written, performed, produced, + recorded by mae shults
at hell’s half acre studio, chicago, winter-spring 2021

co-produced, mixed, + mastered by db at euphoriadic studios

music on iii composed + performed by the earth devoured by the sun
keys and growls on iv by db
end clean vocals on v by db

cover photo by ellie lane

thank you • db, chris h, dan @ trepanation, ellie, erik, norah, cassie, alyx, amanda, justine, cat, erica, su, and mom + dad

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about

Everson Poe Chicago, Illinois

Everson Poe is Mae Shults: a trans, queer, multi-instrumentalist from Chicago. Often in collaboration with various vocalists, she balances elements from many diverse genres while maintaining the goal of merging beauty with loudness. She has been releasing music as Everson Poe for over a decade.

Logo by Sludgework.
Avatar by Unknown Relic.
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