A Thousand Cuts, the second single from Hannah Rose Kessler‘s forthcoming EP (My Thoughts On The Apocalypse) is out tomorrow (5 March) but we couldn’t wait and are bringing you an early listen.
Dark and sharp-edged, with layered vocals and samples the track again pulls the listener sharply into a Gothic soundscape. The sultry beat and the whispered echo give a sonically sexy surface, but compelled to listen the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this song rises: the cumulative effect of everyday micro-sexism is a heavy burden.
With as much in common with Rilo Kiley as it has Sleigh Bells A Thousand Cuts is another tantalising glimpse at the industrial-dance fusion Kessler is working – but the EP has many more surprises yet to reveal.
Listen to Hannah Rose Kessler A Thousand Cuts
‘death by a thousand cuts’
About the single Kessler said, “This song takes inspiration from the ancient torture method of “a thousand cuts”, by which the victim is killed through the excessive number of small lacerations, which on their own wouldn’t be fatal, but with the others, subject the victim to a slow and agonising death.
“The song took shape after a summer particularly filled with sexual harassment. I was followed out of a coffee shop by a man who “just wanted to tell me I was beautiful”, an Uber driver asked how much I would charge him for sex, then when the chef at work tried to kiss me while my hands were full of stupid miniature doughnuts, I broke down.

“They couldn’t understand why: He was only joking! He didn’t mean to upset you. I couldn’t explain it either. It wasn’t until later that I realised, every time someone does that low-level ‘I was only paying you a compliment’ harassment, it leaves a mark. And eventually, you’ve got so many of those marks, you cry into doughnuts.
“I wanted to make the song’s bassline sound almost like the sexy thumping music at the cliche strip clubs in films, where dodgy, suited men make deals, while girls spin around poles in the background like props. I basically wanted to make a song that would sound like something horny men would like, but then once they’re listening, tell them what they have done to me and many others with their ‘harmless’ comments.”
Release details for A Thousand Cuts
A Thousand Cuts by Hannah Rose Kessler is out digitally on 5 March 2021 – and members can find the track in our digital vault now. EP My Thoughts on The Apocalypse follows on CD as well as digital on 19 March 2021.
Follow Hannah Rose Kessler on Spotify for the latest music straight to your library, and on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) for news of the release and the forthcoming release of short film Stray, featuring music from the EP.
Find out more about Hannah and our other artists or get this and all our other 2021 releases by joining up for our membership.


