German-Brazilian singer and visual artist Gloria de Oliveira returns on 30 October 2026 with The Lying Swans, her third full-length album, out via La Double Vie and Cargo Records.
Produced by Randall Dunn (Anna von Hausswolff, Sunn O))), Marissa Nadler) and recorded between Iceland, New York and Berlin, the nine songs read like a work of Gothic fiction, set in motion by the image of a woman fleeing a haunted house.
At its heart is the Greek myth of Leda, whom Zeus approached disguised as a swan. De Oliveira uses it to tell a deeply personal story of trauma and its aftermath, a world of birds, saints, sirens, ghost ships and spectral apparitions.
The lead single Fading Faces pairs shimmering synths with thunderous drums and glam-rock guitars. “This is not only the first single, but also the very first piece of music I wrote when I started working on the album,” she says. “In many ways, it’s the reason the album even exists.” Her self-directed video places her on a Brazilian beach between black cliffs and pink sand.
Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Tori Amos) plays drums, with Lennard Zander on guitars, Múm’s Gyða Valtýsdóttir on cello, Marilu Donovan on harp and Úlfur Hansson on Segulharpa and synths. Lina Andonovska’s flute nods to 1970s and 1980s Giallo soundtracks, and ambient icon Tor Lundvall makes a rare spoken-word appearance on Wounded Birds (Les Oiseaux Blessés).
Synthwave fans may remember that de Oliveira started out in 2017 with her synthwave project lovespells. Her last album, Oceans of Time, was a 2022 collaboration with Dean Hurley on Sacred Bones Records.
The Lying Swans comes digitally, on CD in a plastic-free digisleeve and on 12-inch vinyl in classic black plus two limited coloured editions, with physical copies shipping around 1 November. The cover painting is by Lori Birkbeck.
Pre-order The Lying Swans on Bandcamp – https://gloriadeoliveira.bandcamp.com/album/the-lying-swans
Watch Fading Faces on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqRhEtvTd_o
Gloria de Oliveira on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/3v9hkdHUrX788NVKB8sijb
Gloria de Oliveira on Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/artist/gloria-de-oliveira/1456037241
Read more at HighClouds – https://highclouds.org/gloria-de-oliveira-new-album-the-lying-swans-fading-faces-video/
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