Kristine Leschper, leader of the one-time Band To Watch Mothers, is striking out under her own name. Today, she’s releasing a solo single, “Figure And I,” a beguiling and smooth introduction to Leschper’s new venture. “For the first time, I used my hands to clap out a rhythm that spoke to me,” Leschper said in a statement, continuing:
I don’t have much experience with percussion, so I was thrilled by the ease and accessibility of using hands as an instrument. It’s such a long-standing and fundamental way of making sound in folk traditions around the world, and to use it makes me feel rooted in a deeper sense of time. As a poet, too, I hold an enthusiasm for the symbolism of hands, as a symbol of work, of community or offering, of holding and being held.
Watch a video for the song directed by Lynne Sachs below.
“Figure And I” is out now via ANTI-.