If you’ve been following the blog for a while now, you’ll know how much I love Fir Cone Children. Alexander Donat’s passion project exudes positivity and optimism from every note played. I covered his last album Waterslide at 7am back in 2020 when it brightened my lockdown days no end. Back in December 2021 Donat launched his latest album It Chooses You featuring collaborations with my good pals Krissy Vanderwoude and Jackie Kasbohm.
It’s my pleasure to premiere the video to the latest single from that album, ‘Cereals and Confidence’. I asked Alex to tell us a bit about the song itself
“Like all FCC songs this one is about my daughters and how they grow up. After 1st grade I recognized how my first daughter’s self-confidence was taking a leap. The little girl that, in the first weeks, had tears in her eyes when entering the school building suddenly learned arithmetic, and – in no time – became an amazing reader that blew me and my family away.
It was almost as if every spoon of cereal she took in, helped her body grow and her ability to understand complex things. ‘Snowblack’ is the name of her mouse, a pet she dearly loves and cares for. It’s like a companion that additionally helps her in difficult times. Seeing her holding Snowblack, giving her a soft kiss on the head is heart-breaking.”
The song has an eighties, goth art house vibe. The bass could’ve been lifted straight from a Cure track. The lush synths lift and surround the vocals. I love how the song evolves as it progresses, right up to that buoyant, uplifting ending. I’ve listened to this song so many times now and I still can’t get my head around how he created the chorus. The drums alone are stunningly complex. It’s classic Fir Cone Children. Uplifting and life affirming lyrics framed in a killer track.
Before you enjoy the video, I asked Alex a bit about how it came about.
“During last year’s summer holidays, I knew I’d take the opportunity to shoot a video on the west coast of Denmark. The scenery was amazing, the weather perfect, not too cold, not too hot.
When my daughters weren’t too eager to go to the beach after a longer walk in the countryside, my wife asked me: “Wanna shoot the Fir Cone Children video today? Weather’s perfect!”
I went for “Cereals & Confidence” because it’s a song without guest vocals and it was the only one from the “It Chooses You” album where the topic fit to what we could and would shoot: sun, wind, joy, beach, the sea, vast green dunes, happiness. The mind is as wide as an ocean. It made sense, and I really enjoyed running around. The fun was real.”
Here it is, the video for ‘Cereals and Confidence’. Enjoy.
You can grab It Chooses You and all the other great Fir Cone Children albums over on the Blackjack Illuminist Records Bandcamp now.
You can follow Fir Cone Children on social media here,,,
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