Despite quarantine, it's been a busy year for Sufjan Stevens. Earlier in 2020 he released the collaborative, instrumental album Aporia alongside his step-father Lowell Brams. Then last month came the announcement of his long-awaited solo record, The Ascension, out September 25th via his own Asthmatic Kitty Records. The album's first single was the sprawling, 12-minute epic 'America,' which harkened back to the experimental maximalism of his 2010 LP Age of Adz. His latest single is another welcomed left turn with the synth-pop laden "Video Game."
Alongside the release of the song, Stevens also dropped a video starring teenage dancer and choreographer Jalaiah Harmon. For those like myself who've been spending their quarantine scrolling through TikTok, you may recognize Harmon as the originator of the viral "Renegade" dance. The two make a formidable team, with Stevens' upbeat production and trademark whispery vocals channel digital dissatisfaction while Harmon cooly moves through virtual landscapes.
The contrast in their roles in the song epitomize the longstanding trend of pop music – dissecting our troubled thoughts in lyrics while metabolizing them through the physicality of undeniable beats and dance.
Watch the video below.
Preview Stevens and Brams' new album before it drops on Friday, March 27.
The full song title is actually "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!" but it wouldn't fit in the headline.
Today’s song, featured on The Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Tonya Harding (in Eb Major)” by Sufjan Stevens, a single which is available via Asthmatic Kitty Records.
