Self-discovery is one of the primary functions of the creative process. It’s why artists so often discuss personal development in terms of a journey, as something that needs to be sought out and unearthed. For all our focus on craft and creation, there is equal power in the voyage, in charting your own course and leaving behind a trail for others to follow. For singer and songwriter Sarah Rae, it’s this focus on exploration and evolution that animates new single “Shockwave.” Threading the needle between chunky ‘90s alt-rock and dreamy synth-pop, the song is an ode to transformation and planting your own flags.
“The song [is] about venturing outside of yourself to find yourself,” Rae says. “I wrote the song thinking about all of the changes and growth that came about through the global pandemic, and how self-growth really comes from creating your waves in the world, standing strong within them, and how the right people, places, and things will find their way to you.”
Directed by longtime Atlanta fixture Video Rahim, the video serves as a metaphor for this artistic seeking. As Rae makes her way along a forest path, she’s confronted by a dancer covered in mirrors pointing in every conceivable direction. Although mystifying, the dancer does not so much impede Rae’s progress as it continually beckons her to move forward. This is in contrast to a pair of shrouded figures holding single mirrors. They follow from behind and act as a kind of menacing presence always lurking in the near distance. When the inevitable confrontation takes place, it’s the multi-reflective dancer that pulls Rae away from her navel-gazing and leads her out into the fullness of the world.
“The video is sort of an abstract story where you see me falling into this dark, confusing, mystical place symbolizing the inner soul searching a person must do to grow,” Rae explains. “The mirror dancer is the version of myself I want to be, and the mirror sprites chasing me are the versions of myself I’m running from. This all crescendos into breaking free of it all, and feeling proud of the work I’ve accomplished as I follow the version of myself out of the smoke into a new, brighter reality.”
Watch/listen above.
“Shockwave” is the lead track from Rae’s new EP, Brand New Eyes.
More Info
Web: sarahraesings.com
Bandcamp: sarahraesings.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @sarahraesings
Instagram: @sarahraesmiles
Twitter: @sarahraesmiles