“If the brooding first single “I Know Who You Are” is any indication, Callaway is clearly channeling her recent physical and mental traumas, resulting in what sounds (and looks to be) her most visceral work yet. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Surprisingly, there are luminous moments of levity, such as the shimmery and upbeat synth-pop single that is ‘Without You, Whatever.’” – The A.V. Club
“With “Without You, Whatever,’ Callaway breaks away from the stately arrangements and dark instrumentals of her previous two singles and instead crafts a shimmering indie pop gem.” –Under The Radar
“Her vocals, which range from snarling to waif-like, loosing emotional carnage over often-harsh guitars, heavy synths and feedback, delicate one song and doomy the next. That her creative process is stubbornly stream-of-consciousness make Queen Kwong’s releases especially challenging” – Buzzbands.la
“Carré Callaway’s tough-as-nails attitude mixes oddly with her esoteric innocence. You wouldn’t expect the freckled-face singer to lead a ‘visceral rock’ band named Queen Kwong.” – LA Weekly“Singing through a stinging lyrical letter… ‘I Know Who You Are’ borders the delirium and darkness of divorce and finding a way out.” – Flaunt
“The first single, ‘I Know Who You Are’ is an absolute shiver-inducing stunner, with its haunted, slow-build introduction, jarringly jagged grooves, and thundering, industrial-punk sonics.” – BlackBook
“Carré Callaway’s latest is a brilliant testament to human endurance, to battling extreme adversity, to keeping going when you really don’t want to.” – FLOOD
Johnny Knoxville channels
Harvey Keitel’s Bad Lieutenant in QUEEN KWONG’s “Sad Man” Video
Following the release of her universally acclaimed third album, Couples Only (out now via Sonic Ritual) the defiantly fearless Queen Kwong a.k.a. Carré Callaway has shared the new single “Sad Man“and its accompanying video costarring the iniminable Johnny Knoxville (Jackass, Bad Grandpa).
An ode to all of the sad men Carré has encountered throughout her time in the music industry, “Sad Man” is dedicated to all “the f*ckboys, the narcissists, the band dudes who think they’re all that,” she notes. It’s an inner dialogue surrounding the desire to ignore the nonsense that comes with a life in LA and being part of the rat race.
Inspired by Abel Ferrara’s 2009 monumental neo-noir film Bad Lieutenant, the video finds Knoxville inhabiting the titular and tortured role that Harvey Keitel embodied. “I knew it would take a really special guy to perform in this video, someone who wasn’t afraid of really embracing what the song represents,” explains Carré.
“Even though the Sad Man video couldn’t be more different than Jackass, I knew Knoxville was the one for it,” she continues. “He’s clearly fearless and has a sense of humor… We danced around, cried and then we went to a church and prayed. Knox was so open to trying everything. It was amazing to work with someone who could have easily been a diva but instead gave 100% of himself to the role, learning all the words and embracing the discomfort. His performance was so powerful that when he started crying, I started crying.”
Queen Kwong & Johnny Knoxville – Credit: Karin Catt
Making music since 2005, Carré was discovered by Trent Reznor who invited her to open Nine Inch Nails’ With Teeth tour (2005), and again in 2009 and 2018. She has released two albums (Get a Witness in 2015 and Love Me to Death in 2018) and two EPs (2013’s Bad Lieutenant and 2019’s Oh Well).
A few years ago, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and told she may only have a decade left to live. As a result of the condition, she’s prone to episodes where her lungs fill up with blood and she’s literally drowning. If that wasn’t bad enough, two months after her diagnosis, her husband jumped ship, leaving her homeless.
Described as “a moment of necessary catharsis” (The Line of Best Fit) and “a phenomenal record by an artist at the top of her creative game,” (FLOOD), Couples Only could be pinned as a divorce record, but it’s so much more. A fearless account of facing the worst betrayals and learning to accept devastating loss, it’s the story of Carré’s resounding resilience and unwavering talent.
The resulting record assembles a notable cadre of contributing musician friends including The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell (keyboards), Swans’ Kristof Hahn (lap steel) and Blood Red Shoes’ Laura-Mary Carter (backing vocals) who appear on assorted tracks on the LP – it’s Carré setting the record straight, and this time around she’s taking no prisoners.
