The Canadian singer-songwriter on the spooky atmospherics of a song from a cult horror classic
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
Ora Cogan is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose work sits somewhere between folk, slowcore and dreamlike indie. Her records are sparse and carefully arranged, often built around voice, guitar and a restrained sense of atmosphere. There’s a cinematic quality to her writing, with themes of isolation, faith and memory running through much of her catalogue.
Written in the quiet, slightly uncanny surroundings of Nanaimo, B.C., her new album Hard Hearted Woman took shape through a loose, lived-in rhythm of cold-water plunges, long river swims, late-night conversations on art and politics, and drives through the Lillooet landscape to visit her godmother.
Her debut for Sacred Bones, the record carries that atmosphere with it. Drawing on haunted folk, psych rock and a shadowed edge of country, Cogan sketches out something immersive but controlled, where release feels textured, elusive and necessary.
For her One Track Mind, Ora has picked out a haunting song from perhaps the definitive British folk-horror movie.
Ora Cogan on Magnet – Willow’s Song from The Wicker Man
“The Wicker Man is one of my all time favourite films. It felt close to home as I grew up on a small island with a lot of wild weirdos. I watched this film at a formative age and the very immersive storytelling of this masterpiece has stayed strong in my imagination ever since.
“What an epic pagan love song. Sooo spooky and dreamy. While I’m writing songs I imagine I’m writing them to score films. I love the way a song can evoke a whole realm you could get lost into.”
Ora Cogan – Heart Hearted Woman is out now on Sacred Bones
The Predatory Wasp 