Fenne Lily is back with a new single, “Berlin,” from her forthcoming sophomore album BREACH, out Sept. 18 via Dead Oceans.
Following the release of “Alapathy,” this new single is a gorgeous, meandering stream-of-consciousness that almost feels as if you’re in the room with her. Lucy Dacus and Ali Chant also share shimmering vocals on the track, making it even more transcendent. This song was partly inspired by Patti Smith’s Just Kids, which explains its nostalgia and rosy color.
Lily said of the new track and music video:
When I was 21 I spent a month alone in Berlin. While I was there, I recorded everything I did as a voice note or in a sketchbook, even if it was boring. On the plane ride home, my phone packed up and I lost all my song ideas from my trip. Initially, it felt as though I’d lost a part of my brain, but gradually pieces started to come back to me. To help the remembering process, I tried to picture all the things that surrounded me during my time alone in Berlin. The more I pictured these mundane objects, the more lost ideas I could remember.
This song was one of these ideas. When it came to deciding on a video for it, I’d recently had a dream about an illustrated man eating his own brain for breakfast and, on the same day, was introduced to Henry’s animated short film ‘Pollock.’ His work and my dream were impossible to ignore in their similarities and so this video was born. It reflects both the comfort and claustrophobia of the everyday, and how company can be found in everything when you’re left with only yourself and an alien place. The umbrella made me cry – I kind of hope it helps you do the same.
Preorder BREACH here, and watch the video for “Berlin” below.
