Bess Atwell Shares New Single ‘Red Light Heaven’
Following the release of her gorgeous singles All You Can Do and Nobody, British singer and songwriter Bess Atwell has just shared her brand new single Red Light Heaven, the latest single to be taken from her highly-anticipated new album Already, Always set to arrive on September 24th via Lucy Rose’s Real Kind Records.
I am a fan of Bess Atwell's mesmerising vocals and effortless storytelling which is wrapped around a polished indie folk-tinged production. Red Light Heaven is a personal song about being disappointed for her lack of spirituality and the frustration she felt while trying to find connection and meaning. This message is beautifully wrapped around a vibrant production with gorgeous guitar melodies nicely paired with steady percussion and warm atmospherics that create an overall laid-back atmosphere perfect for the summer. I am particularly fond of the energetic guitar solo and how it gives the song a cool edge.
Speaking about the song, Bess Atwell said,
This is one of those Frankenstein songs that shifted subject matter several times until it encompassed most of the record’s themes in one. It touches on the disappointment I feel about my lack of spirituality, and frustration at the attempts I’ve made to find meaning and connection. It also looks at the role I’ve played in the lives of those I love – believing that life is mostly meaningless is simultaneously dark and liberating, and I think these beliefs inform my relationships - I want to feel connected because it’s the only meaning I can draw from life. Red Light Heaven is about the people I love and the elasticity of those relationships. The last line of the chorus (“I can’t look back without thinking it’s all wrong”) is an acknowledgement of the mournful perception I have of the past – whether the memory is positive or not, it often seems to sadden me slightly.
Accompanying the release, Bess Atwell has shared its stunning music video, directed by the renowned Jamie Thraves, which looks to further explore this parallel between light and dark energy with its isolated yet colourful aesthetic. Check it out below!
Continuing about the new video, Bess added,
I was lucky enough to work with Jamie Thraves on the music video. Fittingly, it ended up being a similar process to that of writing the song - it shifted concept a few times until we’d made something that is almost a little fractured, while still being full of meaning and hidden messages.
Jamie and I instantly clicked, bonding over our penchant for intensity and over-sharing. We had several really organic, honest conversations about the song, and about life. We came out of those chats with the idea of highlighting a sense of duality. We had several of the shots in mind before the shoot, but Jamie didn’t storyboard because we wanted to trust our instincts when we got on set. He seemed to totally understand the song so I felt in safe hands only having a rough plan of action. We shot for two days with an amazing small crew of people and just had a lot of fun. It’s by far the biggest fuss I’ve ever made for a video of mine and I felt extremely lucky.
Jamie has a friend who owns a small woodland in Kent and we shot there on the first day. The second day’s location was the amazing Glyndebourne Opera House. I was particularly excited about shooting at Glyndebourne because there’s so much symmetry to play with, and one of my references was the photography of Slim Aarons. The locations were chosen with that sense of duality in mind, as was the way I performed. My performance is slightly erratic and emotionally unpredictable.
Before we shot, Jamie mentioned how he’d like me to push myself to perform slightly more than I had in previous videos. I’ll never know how he did it, but he got me interpretive dancing in front of a camera and crew of people. I was so grateful to everyone for working so hard that I was able to put aside my fear of embarrassing myself and actually feel the music and move as if I were alone. It was so liberating to feel comfortable enough to perform the song the way I wanted and I have Jamie to thank for that.