
Let Banks' 'Live and Stripped' Songs Comfort You
Mar 31, 2020
"This is the face of someone who loves you babe," goes a line in California musician Banks' single, "Contaminated," from last year's critically-acclaimed album, III. Like any singer/ songwriter in total command of her voice and words, she lets the line hover in the still air of Capitol Studios' legendary performance and recording space. It's a comfort nowadays to see and hear a voice as raw and real as Banks', breaking through the digital ether that has become our new normal.
Related | Banks on What It Takes to Be a Savage
The Capitol Studios performance of "Contaminated" is one of four stripped versions of original recordings that Banks is unveiling this week, and it premieres today on PAPER. Acoustic, single-take treatments of three additional tracks — "If We Were Made of Water and "Stroke," also from III, as well as "Drowning," the hit single from Banks' 2014 debut album Goddess — comprise an EP called Live and Stripped, out Friday (April 3).
In the black-and-white video for "Contaminated," Banks stands at a mic and lets her graceful runs carry the song's lyrics, which detail a relationship gone sour. The series of videos and re-recorded songs she's releasing this week were created pre-quarantine, and give a window into Banks' vulnerable, yet fearless creative process.
"Most of my songs are written on the piano before anything else, so it is a gift to be able to share these acoustic versions of songs with my fans during this tough time," Banks says. "We cannot physically be near each other right now, so I am using music as a tool to bring us together.'"
Stream "Contaminated (Live and Stripped)" here, and the acoustic version of "Drowning," below.
Photo courtesy of Capitol Records
MORE ON PAPER
Music
Yungblud Reclaims Rock Stardom
Story by Georgia Evans / Photography by Ellen von Unwerth / Styling by Mike Adler / Grooming by Luca Tullio / Set design by Caylah Jean
Story by Georgia Evans / Photography by Ellen von Unwerth / Styling by Mike Adler / Grooming by Luca Tullio / Set design by Caylah Jean
02 July
Music
Reneé Rapp Trusts Herself
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Yasmine Diba / Styling by Valeria Semushina / Makeup by Loren Canby / Hair by Marissa Marino / Nails by Anna Wesolowska / Set design by Kelly Infield
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Yasmine Diba / Styling by Valeria Semushina / Makeup by Loren Canby / Hair by Marissa Marino / Nails by Anna Wesolowska / Set design by Kelly Infield
26 June
Film/TV
'Overcompensating' Hits Where It Heals
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
05 June
Entertainment
The 2025 Tonys: 'Give It Everything Or Die Trying'
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
05 June
Film/TV
Coolest Person in the Room: Stephanie Suganami
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
30 May