Today Brooklyn-based duo Charlift released “Romeo,” the second single off of their upcoming album Moth. According to a press release from the band, the song is written from the perspective of Greek mythological character and proto-feminist, Atalanta.
In “Romeo,” Atalanta (neé Charlift-singer Caroline Polachek) warns her lover,
In the myth, Atalanta was abandoned at birth by her father who wanted a son. She grew up in the wilderness and took an oath of virginity to the goddess Artemis. After years alone, Atalanta finally decided that she would marry. As her suitors began to rejoice, she presented them with one caveat, “Whoever tries this race must also agree that if I outrun him, he must lose his life.”
Polachek may have a bit of a preoccupation with Greek mythology. Earlier this month she collaborated with the cosmetic line MAKE to create a video in which she plays Selene, the goddess of the moon.
