Pop Spotlight

The acclaimed artist PJ Harvey has returned with her first new music since the release of I Inside the Old Year Dying. Her latest offering, a synth-driven odyssey titled “Voyager,” serves as a testament to her enduring ability to blend complex themes with evocative soundscapes. Developed at the request of British physicist Brian Cox, the track adopts the perspective of the NASA probe Voyager 2, aligning with the cosmic themes of Cox’s Emergence tour.

Recorded with a full orchestra at the renowned Miraval Studios in Provence, the song represents a significant expansion of Harvey’s sonic palette. The production, which features an orchestral arrangement by Dario Marianelli, captures the vastness of space and the loneliness of the probe’s journey. The accompanying video, directed by Brian Cox and Nic Stacey, further emphasizes the track’s celestial atmosphere.

Reflecting on the creative process, Harvey shared her fascination with the spacecraft’s mission:

I was excited for the challenge to compose a song in the ‘voice’ of Voyager 2. I have long been fascinated by the spacecraft and its journey, and asked myself what it might say to us if it could? This was an inspiring route to take to develop the song. The song had already started life as part of the ongoing work towards my new album, so when Professor Brian Cox invited me to write a piece for his new show, I sent him the voice memo of this song to see if it resonated. It immediately made him think of the Voyager craft and the sound of its signal being sent back to Earth. With these ideas as my starting point I let the song develop, and discussed an orchestral accompaniment with Dario Marianelli. I’m very happy with the end result, and it’s wonderful to hear the orchestral score bring such expansiveness to my music. I thoroughly enjoyed researching the history and journey of Voyager 1 & 2, and was glad to be able to quote the great Carl Sagan within the song, and his famous description of our fragile and beautiful ‘pale blue dot’.

By weaving in the profound words of Carl Sagan, Harvey elevates the track from a simple musical composition to a contemplative piece on humanity’s place in the universe. The result is a haunting, expansive work that highlights her unique talent for storytelling through sound.