Haley Fohr, a.k.a. Circuit Des Yeux has always been a fascinating and mysterious figure since starting the project when she was just 18.
For starters, attempting to categorize her music is no easy feat.
It’s been tucked away into the experimental folk genre, but also features electronic instrumentation and feels highly modern. Her lyrics are extremely personal but also seem to capture the human experience. The experimental nature of her work is offset by her warm and exceptional baritone voice.
And she’s been compared to artists as diverse as Alan Vega and Robbie Basho.
Her journey as an artist has been quite exciting as well. She’s written five albums, the first three of which were produced, executed, and promoted in highly DIY and independent fashion, with Fohr taking everything into her own hands including touring solo.
experimental nature of her music (read: not for everyone)
In spite of the relatively low production value and quite experimental nature of her music (read: not for everyone), she was highly praised by major publications such as Pitchfork and the NY Times.
The Indiana native then moved to a communal living space in Chicago, which was clearly felt on her fourth album In Plain Speech, where she took a much more collaborative approach, working with big names in the progressive music scene (Cooper Crain and Rob Frye of Bitchin Bajas, Whitney Johnson, etc).
Fohr then took a break from Circuit Des Yeux and began work on an equally successful country side project, Jackie Lynn.
The particularity of the story and the fact that the album is not available in its entirety online only add to the mystique.
Her fifth studio album, Reaching For Indigo, released October 20th, 2017 has reached the same level of acclaim so far (Pitchfork called it “stunning”). It was inspired by a traumatic 2016 life event in which Fohr collapsed on the floor out of nowhere, convulsing and crying, and was then left seeing incredibly bright colors for months. The particularity of the story and the fact that the album is not available in its entirety online only add to the mystique.
It’s safe to say that her supporting tour, and more particularly the Circuit Des Yeux show next Friday, February 9th at Kantine Am Berghain should be something truly unique to behold.
