Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon tea break with our Afternoon Tea curators.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Coraline James.
Coraline James is an alt-folk musician from Kitchener, Ontario who self-describes as a forest gremlin who emerges from the woods to make music. James‘ music reflects her deep connection to nature, her background as a Baroque musician, and growing up on her mom’s Elvis and Beatles albums. She is often compared to Damien Rice for his melodic sensibilities, Kate Bush for her quirky theatricality, and Adele for her powerful vocals. James describes her artistic practice as “a commitment to examining life’s inherent delight and agony with raw candor.”
New single, “Unholy Prayer,” takes the perspective of a woman in an abusive marriage who finds respite from the darkness of her reality in the arms of her lover. The haunting track features interweaving melodies and earthy instrumentation. “As I was writing, a character emerged,” James explains. “She was a woman whose affair is her only respite from an abusive marriage and the loss of her child. She’s praying for forgiveness, but ultimately she does not regret her actions.”
Stream + share “Unholy Prayer” now:
In August 2023, James unveiled her debut EP, In the River, produced by the esteemed JUNO Award-winning producer Michael Wojewoda. One of James‘ previous releases, the single “A Forest in a City,” features contemporary dancer Violet Vaughn and earned over 283K views on YouTube.
Tea: Stash Pumpkin Spice Decaf Black Tea
Visual:
Music: Blood Moon by Saint Sister
I love fall and I love Halloween, so I thought it would be fun to do a witchy fall themed Ten Minute Tea. The tea, Stash Pumpkin Spice Decaf Black Tea, given the theme, was an obvious choice. I am a huge fan of a PSL in theory, but find them too sweet to actually drink. Pumpkin spice tea is a nice alternative. Nothing says witchy fall vibes like a black cat. A cat in the wildflowers by Kelly Louise Judd (@swanbones) entwines a black cat with wildflowers and reminds me of witches’ familiars and hanging herbs. Saint Sister, the artist, in general have alt folk witchy vibes and their song Blood Moon captures that energy quite thoroughly. It’s highly poetic, which means the lyrics can be interpreted more than one way, something that I love.
Tea + Me 