We are overjoyed to premiere the new video from Sydney-based US artist Ainsley Farrell for the shimmering indie track ‘Fireworks’. ‘Fireworks has a gentle melodic flow imbued with an air of wistful melancholy, a slow burning fuse punctuated by a reverb-soaked guitar and an aquatic refrain.
There are certainly traces of Phoebe Bridgers in the DNA as well as the thoughtful space and air of artists like Beck, Sufjan Stevens or Chris Isaaks – a sort melodic alt. folk tinge over dappling guitars – but Farrell’s delivery is distinctive and unique. There is a heartbreaking beauty in the track that is majestic and ethereal.
Farrell says of ‘Fireworks’:
It was the fourth of July in Rhode Island. I was working through some sadness and anxiety but
forced myself to go out to see the fireworks with friends. We were biking down the river path thick
with smoke when I lost them. I paused in the thick smoke and couldn’t see anything else around
me. I could only hear the sound of the fireworks going off in the night sky and imagined what it would feel like to burn that bright.
The video, directed by Genevieve Kaiser, is as gentle and immersive as the track – following Farrell around, amusingly dressed in a sporty/cheerleader outfit, as she is in a dreamy fugue, wistful, playful and remote. As the protagonist, Farrell reflects the contemplative nature of the track – insular and alone in her thoughts as she practices routines and ponders on the vicissitudes of life. It is an utterly charming portrayal as she briefly achieves a sort of apotheosis – an angelic presence deep inside her mind: a euphoric, grand transformation from the caterpillar to the butterfly where internal dreams and anxieties ascend to an external, dynamic force:
It’s a beautiful immersive video that captures the delicacy of the track – evoking a sense of resilience and strength through adversity.
‘Fireworks’ is out now and can be downloaded and streamed here. It comes of Farrell’s forthcoming album ‘Dirt’ due out in June.
Feature photograph: Bee Elton
