Kathleen Waits…
So, The Datura Tapes, our audio imprint is up and running. Our first release is a gospel lament as we look in on Kathleen, the (maybe) heroine of our title Walker Awake.
The air is thick with dust and fading light. A lone figure waits at a crossroads, her life held in a single suitcase, her gaze fixed on the horizon. She’s waiting for a car. For a ticket to anywhere but here.
This is the scene that opens the world of The Datura Tapes, our new home for auditory exploration and sonic storytelling from the universe of The Datura Press.
Our first release, Until I Get Into Your Car, gives voice to a moment of desperate hope. Fans of Walker Awakes will recognize the young girl, Kathleen, as she stands at the precipice of a new life. Set to a mournful, gospel-infused delta blues melody, the track is a prayer and a promise, an exploration of that “hot minute” when a stranger drinking coffee can suddenly represent escape. It’s the story of what it means to wait for a future you can’t yet see, knowing only that it can’t possibly be the past.
I know you have to go
I know you need to go far
So I’ll wait at these cross roads
‘til I get into your car
But Kathleen’s story is just the beginning.
“The Tapes,” is a soundscape where our characters’ inner worlds are made audible. This isn’t just about music. It’s a collection of dispatches from the unseen moments—a space for voice-overs, found sounds, ambient noise, ASMR, and poetic excerpts that give a new dimension to the stories you know.
“The Datura Tapes is a way to explore our characters in more than words. It’s a playground for music, prose, poetry and sound. Really any distraction to prevent us from finishing any of our books!”
Dom, composer/recordist at The Datura Tapes
And the dial is already turning to the next broadcast. Coming soon, we journey into the world of Narcisa, where an Aunt’s fury takes the form of a mini folk horror opera as she seeks revenge on a hateful, ticking clock (yes really!)
We invite you to put on your headphones and join Kathleen at the crossroads. See what she sees. Feel what she feels.
Listen to now on SoundCloud
Follow us there to be the first to hear when the next dispatch from The Datura Tapes arrives. Who knows what you’ll find?
Til then…don’t touch that dial
Love
The Tapes x