Premiere: "I WANNA SEE WHAT DEATH IS LIKE" by Don't do it, Neil
Self portrait
Happy Friday the 13th, Friends! What a perfect day to premiere a haunting dream pop album looking at death, mental health, and exorcising personal demons. Whew! Philadelphia-based Don’t do it, Neil, also known as Mabel Harper, is one of the original members of Grimalkin Records, the music & zine collective and record label raising money and supporting social justice & civil rights organizations. This release tackles heavy subjects and its production delivers them with a perfect balance of sparkling pop and brutal horror.
Press release:
Harper explores mental illness, grief, and denial on I WANNA SEE WHAT DEATH IS LIKE, her newest album and most candid work-to-date. Through haunting production, irresistible pop hooks, and violent contrasts, IWSWDIL broadens Don't do it, Neil's creative horizons while delving frankly into the circumstances surrounding Harper's real-life suicide attempt, and exorcises personal demons along the way.
Digital only proceeds support Harper's future projects.
Tape proceeds got to The Okra Project. "The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them."
Lathe proceeds go back to Grimalkin’s label and mutual aid fund.
Watch the video shot and directed by Mabel Harper below:
credits
released November 13, 2020
Produced, written, arranged, and performed by Mabel Harper as Don't do it, Neil. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mabel Harper in a bedroom in Philadelphia, PA.
Artwork and layout by Mabel Harper. Lathe cut photograph by Richard Dunn.