Description
PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? – Demos – Compact Disc
THE ORIGINAL DEMO RECORDINGS OF EVERY TRACK FROM THE ALBUM ‘IS THIS DESIRE?’, INCLUDING ‘A PERFECT DAY ELISE’, ‘THE WIND’ AND ‘ANGELENE’ PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Is This Desire? – Demos offers a rare, stripped-back look at one of PJ Harvey’s most haunting and mysterious albums. Released as part of the reissue campaign for her catalog, the collection pulls back the curtain on the early versions of songs that would later appear on the 1998 album Is This Desire?. Instead of the dense, atmospheric production of the final record, these recordings present the material in a far more intimate form.
The demos reveal the skeleton of the songs—often just Harvey’s voice accompanied by piano, guitar, or minimal instrumentation. Without the layers of studio texture, the emotional core of the music becomes even more striking. Her voice carries the full weight of the lyrics, shifting from fragile whispers to stark declarations, giving listeners a clearer sense of the mood she was building during the writing process.
Many of the songs on the original album were steeped in dark, cinematic atmospheres and loosely connected characters. The demo versions retain that sense of unease but feel more immediate, almost like private sketches before the music was transformed into something more elaborate. Tracks such as “Angelene,” “The Wind,” and “No Girl So Sweet” feel especially stark in this early form, highlighting Harvey’s gift for storytelling and her ability to create tension with very little instrumentation.
What makes this collection fascinating is how clearly it shows Harvey’s songwriting strength. Even in these unfinished versions, the songs already carry the emotional depth and strange beauty that defined the final album. The melodies and lyrical imagery stand on their own, proving how much of the album’s power was present long before the full studio arrangements were built around them.
For listeners familiar with Is This Desire?, the demo collection feels like stepping into the quiet moments before the storm—the point where ideas were still forming but the atmosphere was already unmistakable. It’s an intimate companion piece that highlights PJ Harvey’s creative process and the stark emotional landscapes at the heart of her music.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Angelene
The Sky Lit Up
The Wind
My Beautiful Leah
A Perfect Day Elise
Catherine
Electric Light
The Garden
Joy
The River
No Girl So Sweet
Is This Desire?
