Photo: Signe Luksengard
While others are busy smearing on an extra portion of AutoTune or taking their flannel shirts back out of the closet, Carmen Villain is going where it hurts—namely, inwards. This American with Norwegian and Mexican roots makes shoegaze-inspired nightmare folk with more false bottoms than a common fairground magician. The title of her 2017 album »Infinite Avenue« is to be taken seriously: Villain had a stint in the modeling industry before relocating to London and finally to Oslo, where her stories of eternal transit have found a permanent home among characters as diverse as house producer Matt Karmil, experimental musician Deathprod, and performance artist and part-time vampire Jenny Hval. Next time she packs her guitar and drum machine back into her suitcase and hits the road again, there will be that many more stories to tell.
Carmen Villain on Facebook