Shamir is gearing up to release one of the more anticipated releases of the fall with his sophomore album. Today, he’s giving fans another peek at the self-titled release with a brisk new indie pop song called “Running”.
Like his July single “I Wonder” and June’s catchy-as-hell “On My Own”, “Running” is a decidedly peppy and upbeat offering from the recent Philly transplant. There’re lively cymbal taps, jangly guitar chords, and a really hooky bassline that worms its way through the dreamy, foggy ambient noise that hovers throughout the mix.
The song comes paired with a beautifully illustrated video that features a butterfly-winged Shamir trotting through the night sky and floating through the clouds. It was animated by Faye Orlove (who’s made visuals for the likes of Mitski, Palehound, and Vagabon), and you can take it all in below.
Although “Running” has a sprightly musical character to it, Shamir revealed in a statement that it was written about a toxic friend group he used to be a part of in which he was the only non-cis person.
“The song is from the perspective of me now realizing how much it affected my mental health after being a few years removed, and realizing how much I was dulling myself down so I did not stick out any more than I already did, and also how that directly made me experience gender dysphoria for the first time ever,” explained Shamir, who now identifies as non-binary.
The upcoming Shamir record, which he’s self-releasing on October 2nd, aims to re-imagine ’90s pop and rock for the modern world. And so far the three singles have done just that and then some.
