Lael Neale returns with the video for ‘Electricity,‘ a new song available now worldwide from Sub Pop. With an illuminating sway, ripe with Neale’s anchoring vocals that are at once haunting and plugged into deeper feelings of being cut off from everything, ‘Electricity’ swells into a mini-epic of longing for human contact. It was written and composed by Neale and produced and arranged by longtime creative collaborator Guy Blakeslee. The video was directed by Neale, and features cinematography by Chance Gray, with movement direction and choreography by Sandi Denton and a performance by the Rated Z Dancers. Watch it below.
Neale says, “I wrote the song during an ice storm a couple of winters ago that caused a 5-day power outage while I was living on my family’s farm in Virginia. I experienced intense withdrawal from all these things we’ve come to depend on so heavily in our modern life – like lighting, heat, refrigeration, and entertainment. I felt a range of sensations from utter emptiness to complete liberation. I realized we’re essentially electrified beings now, but through unplugging entirely we have a chance to gain a new perspective and reset ourselves.”
Neale’s most recent full-length is the beguiling Star Eaters Delight, her second album released in April 2023. The album reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Lael Neale’s Star Eaters Delight is also available now from Sub Pop.
Photo credit – Chance Gray
