Willow has shared her “mysterious” new single ‘Symptom Of Life’, marking her first release of 2024.
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The single opens with a haunting and odd piano riff along with pounding drums while Williow sings: “Pushing and peeling myself out of my disguise looking at you now I am wondering who am I / If i could try to take you back I couldn’t define / Feeling / Absence of time / Knowing / All is decided / There’s nothing / Here left to find / The story’s all in my mind”.
Speaking of the song in a press release, Willow said: “The song has a very beautiful whimsical nature but holds a lot of mystery. There’s this beautiful light coming in through the piano, but also this syncopated rhythm of the bass bringing in that mysterious element. A juxtaposition of light and dark.”
The song’s accompanying video was directed by the singer and sees her and two friends walking in a forest before finding a snail shell and looking up at the sky. Willow then lays down on a patch of grass and begins to sing. The video ends with her laying on a patch of grass with flowers around her.
Speaking about the video in a post on Instagram, Willow said: “This visual is for all the beautiful people who have ever gone into nature with their friends & been guided to a deeper understanding of life together by plant medicine. I hope this song and visual can bring catharsis to anyone who experiences them.”
‘Symptom Of Life’ serves as her first offering from her upcoming album. The LP will follow 2022’s ‘COPINGMECHANISM’. In a four-star review of the album, NME shared: “Over a relatively small number of tracks compared to some of the bloated albums that get released today, WILLOW has opted for quality over quantity once again.”
It continued: “However, despite utilising a similar premise as on her last album by plucking her feelings away on a guitar, ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’ is still an important record in her musical progression. In the poetic and thoughtful nature of it, as well as the odd glimpse of where she could go next, WILLOW’s fifth record should be noted as her breaking sonically mature new ground.”
Last year, Willow shared her transcendental single ‘Alone’ and shared a picture from the studio featuring St. Vincent – aka Annie Clark – leading many fans to believe that a collaboration was in the works.