Singles “Rosegold” and “Billy” out now!

What Lungs of Insects

A black and white portrait of a man wearing a large hat, with long hair and a beard, against a dark background.

Album Bio:

Black and white photo of a woman reflecting in sunglasses, standing in front of a vintage car with an open window and a person sitting inside. Trees and a sign are in the background, with red text labels reading 'Ballerina Black' and 'What lungs of insects'.

What Lungs of Insects

The record began in Berlin, whittling away on acoustic demos on a canal in Kreuzberg while attending Ableton courses. I felt unbelievably terrified to continue in this new digital landscape coupled with the detachment of previous collaborators.

Something began to feel very liberating and exploratory as the songs evolved in their own organic fashion. Cropped up with demos, I entrusted Dan Long; Los Angeles based producer (Pavement, Film School, Local Natives) to provide co-production and mixing contributions to the songs.

The record is a deeply emotional and experimental excavation of the heart and the hills we climb and the landmines we stumble upon throughout our journey in this demonstration. Upon hearing the nascent mixes from Dan, my heart pulsed in my throat and my eyes welled up. The lyrics are a conjugated pluck from the memoir What Lungs of Insects; a recent novel I had just completed.

I truly hope the music brings you insights, warmth, chills, rage, and awareness. Listen loud, quiet, happy and hopefully on a steady come up.

BALLERINA BLACK

bobby@ballerina.black