Tori Amos explores power and resistance in new album ‘In Times of Dragons’
Singer-songwriter Tori Amos has released her 18th studio album, In Times of Dragons, an ambitious allegorical collection centered on themes of transformation and political upheaval.
The album, released via Universal/Fontana, follows a fictionalized version of Amos as she escapes a marriage to a dangerous billionaire and journeys across America. Throughout the record, the protagonist gradually transforms into a dragon to confront the forces pursuing her.
“This is a metaphorical story about the fight for democracy over tyranny,” Amos said. “We really don’t know how this American experiment of democracy is going to end up. I’m a pragmatist. I’m not an optimist. I’m not a fatalist. But as a songwriter I needed to hear the clarion call.”
The project features a multi-generational perspective, with Amos’ daughter, Natashya Hawley, serving as a co-writer and vocalist on several tracks. In the song “Veins,” the two engage in a call-and-response dialogue regarding emotional and moral inheritance.
Musically, the album begins with the piano-driven track “Shush” and introduces a cast of characters such as the Gasoline Girls, a collective of women described as those who “tend the fire” in defiance.
Amos, who has sold over 12 million albums throughout her 35-year career, is supporting the release with a European tour spanning 17 countries. She is joined on stage by bassist Jon Evans, drummer Earl Harvin, and backing vocalists Liv Gibson, Deni Hlavinka, and Hadley Kennary.
Click here to stream In Times of Dragons.
