Dani Bell and the Tarantist is an American rock band based in San Diego, California, led by singer-songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dani Bell. Inspired by the early days of Motown, Dani Bell and the Tarantist creates a modern style of dreamy psychedelic pop. The band records and tours as part of the Redwoods Music record label and musicians collective, which adapts Bell’s bedroom compositions into intimate songs with expansive arrangements.
With their sophomore record Wide Eyed, which is due out on January 18, 2019, Dani Bell and the Tarantist awake from the dreamy pop reveries that fueled their 2015 debut, Dark West, to contend with a present day that’s taken a greater emotional toll. While their previous effort lent the intimacy of Bell’s vulnerable vocals to romantic whispers, here they’re compelled to answer the shifting contexts of an unsettling world, offering turns of disenchantment, wariness and resilience.
For an artist who sings with vulnerability and introspection, Bell offers scarce hints of a persona through her performance with her band. On stage, the singer’s face is partly concealed by a feathered commedia dell’arte mask, which she procured in the Venice Republic. Her body reveals only a compulsive devotion to the music, the possessed dancing ecstasy of a tarantist.
Today Glide is premiering the new video for “Mystery”, one of the standout tracks on Wide Eyed. Donning her signature mask, Bell follows a masked man around in a way that is equal parts playful and sensual like a sort of imaginary character out of Donnie Darko. The song features a thick groove with plenty of guitar shredding and the chorus makes it into a rocking soul anthem. The band possesses a big sound that is easy to imagine filling large venues of dancing fans.
Singer Dani Bell points out that “‘Mystery’ is my favorite track on the album. We wrote it during a rough time in my life, and I feel this song kept me motivated.”
WATCH:
Dani Bell and The Tarantist’s Wide Eyed will be available January 18, 2019 on vinyl, CD, digital and streaming formats via The Redwoods Music.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetarantist
The Redwoods Music website: http://www.theredwoodsmusic.com
Photo credit: Kristy Walker
