(Caroline Records)Moving between vulnerability and aggression, Beth’s album contains multitudes, from sex to cinematic washes, ballads to thrash, released with a collection of erotic stories
Jehnny Beth is best known as the frontwoman of Savages: the always monochromatic, post-punk four-piece whose dissonant debut album was nominated for the Mercury prize back in 2013. Beth herself grew up in the French countryside – her real name is Camille Berthomier – but moved to
London in her 20s to pursue
music. With Savages, who released their last record in 2016, she was electrifying – though she recently told the Guardian that the band eventually became a “prison for creativity”. The more successful they became, the more she felt caged. Now, with her debut solo album To Love Is to Live, she makes herself defiantly uncategorisable.
Related: Jehnny Beth of Savages: 'Sex is a wonderful way to test yourself'