You might recognise the voices behind Clementine Valentine, although you probably won’t recognise the name. Formerly known as Purple Pilgrims, the dream-pop duo that once drew comparisons with Beach House, sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon decided to perform under their birth names this year.
On The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor, the Nixon sisters rarely stray from the sonic palette of their former incarnation, which is far from a bad thing. Their debut album is a thing of quiet majesty, the songs sincerely affecting.
Clementine Valentine possesses the rare ability to bring a listener to an immediate halt, worried as they are that they’ll miss a tiny note in their gorgeous compositions. Their album sounds like the Cocteau Twins if they were transplanted to Aotearoa from Central Scotland, their gauzy shoegaze reduced into glistening art-pop gems.
Lead single “Endless Night” remains the standout, a perfectly paced track that finds the sisters raising their voices to the heavens, whispering barely audible mantras, searching for answers. The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor is Clementine Valentine fully themselves, in name and in art.
Stream: Clementine Valentine, The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor
This review features in the September 2023 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ. If you’re eager to get your hands on it, then now is the time to sign up for a subscription.
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