On the heels of Kayo Dot’s 2016 album Plastic House on Base of Sky, New York City based avant-garde musician Toby Driver sustains his inexhaustible output with a solo album titled Madonnawhore. Due out April 21st from The Flenser, the album’s first single “Avignon” can be heard today on BrooklynVegan or directly on Soundcloud.

After exploring a retro-futurist noir sound on Kayo Dot’s 2014 album Coffins on Io then delving even further into electronic music with Plastic House on Base of Sky, Driver was eager to write a different kind of song. Madonnawhore represents a foray into traditional songwriting, stripped of the progressive flourishes and unpredictability of Kayo Dot. These six austere tracks were recorded as a solo effort; they are sparse and atmospheric, evoking empty spaces and the beauty sometimes inherent in death. They occupy a heretofore unexplored place in Driver’s oeuvre, further demonstrating his immeasurable talent.

Although not a concept album, Madonnawhore is united by its exploration of the “madonna-whore complex,” a psychological neurosis first identified by Sigmund Freud whereby a man feels he can only love a woman who maintains a saint-like purity, but desires to be intimate with someone he considers to be debased.

In addition to the release of Madonnawhore, on April 21st The Flenser will reissue Kayo Dot’s beloved Hubardo album on double CD / triple LP formats. Originally released in 2013, Hubardo is Kayo Dot’s 100-minute magnum opus that has been a longtime out-of-print fan favorite. Look for more details and pre-orders to be announced soon.

Madonnawhore Track List:

1. The Scarlet Whore – Her Dealings With The Initiate

2. Avignon

3. The Deepest Hole

4. Parsifal

5. Craven’s Dawn

6. Boys On The Hill