Los Angeles singer-songwriter Claire George has just announced the release of her debut album The Land Beyond The Light with exhilarating lead single “Pink Elephants”. One of her danciest singles to date, this phosphorescent synth feast actually addresses the traps and dangers of addiction.

“The ‘Pink Elephants’ video is an expression of my desperation to save someone who I loved and lost to addiction”, she explained. “The storyline is meant to depict the lengths to which one will go when they see a loved one losing a battle with substance abuse, but how ultimately, it can be heartbreakingly impossible to catch someone who is already so far gone.” Watch the accompanying video, courtesy of director Chelsi Johnston, below.

“Are you lonely or are you just alone?” That’s the question that Claire George, the Los Angeles-based topliner-turned-singer-songwriter-producer, left listeners with on last year’s rippling EP Bodies of Water. Today, George returns with her newest single, “Alone Together,” a threadbare yet emotionally thunderous track that cements George as a strong solo act.

With George‘s return, she isn’t straying far from the themes of isolation introduced on her EP. On “Alone Together,” she repeats throughout, “We used to want to be alone together, alone together / Now we just feel alone together, alone together.” As with last year’s “Lonely Or Alone,” George drastically changes the meaning of a simple sentence with only a slight semantic shift. The minute difference between wanting to be alone together and finding that you feel alone together is a sharp distinction that hits like a bullet in the gut. George explains, “‘Alone, Together’ covers the different seasons in the lifecycle of a failed relationship, with the titular phrase shifting meaning over the course of the song, tipping the scale from an expression of obsession and passion to one of hollowness and defeat.”

Though her fascination with loneliness remains, Claire George‘s sound has certainly shifted. While Bodies of Water was defined by a kinetic, ever-shifting electronic background, the new single finds George in a divergent, pensive, and quiet sonic landscape. The track is built on a foundation of a scant piano melody a la The Vaccines‘ “Somebody Else’s Child.” Though the sound eventually expands with echoing choral effects and light drums as tension builds, most of the track remains bare, raw, and incredibly vulnerable. Coming from an artist who has so often released electro-encrusted tracks, the change is certainly surprising, but overwhelmingly welcome. In short: It’s a whole new level of heart wrench from George. Though it doesn’t feel good to be brought to that dark place, it’s cathartic to hear her sing about those sad settings so serenely.

Ultimately, George‘s oeuvre thus far has hovered around a pressing central question: How does loneliness sound? Defining such a ubiquitous yet indescribable emotion can be daunting. Yet, she doesn’t flinch from the challenge– she faces it head-on. “Alone Together” is haunting in its poignancy, and marks an exciting new direction for the singer-songwriter.

A few days after her shimmering single “Orbits“, singer-songwriter and producer Claire George unveils the second and final single from her upcoming solo EP. On the celestial synths of the closing track “Lonely Or Alone”, she explores the stifling feelings of loneliness and isolation. About the track, Claire George detailed:

[su_quote]As a child, I remember walking by the home of a shut-in on my way to school every day. I would think about how sad it must feel to be alone all the time. However, I later learned of his troubled past, and of the way he was demonized by his community and family. This made me realize that perhaps he wasn’t sad at all, but that maybe in isolation he finally felt free. I wrote this song at a time when I felt a certain kinship with this man, living in solitude, and experiencing a sense of freedom from the judgment of others for the first time.[/su_quote]

Los Angeles singer-songwriter and producer Claire George, who was known to be a member of HEARTWATCH, is about to release her debut solo EP on Cascine. She has shared the second single “Orbits”, as well as a video that she co-directed with Chelsi Johnston. The follow up to the song “Where Do You Go?” is a haunting and hypnotizing offering loaded with trippy reversed backing vocals. According to the press release, it references Carl Sagan’s infamous golden records of the star-bound Voyager probes, also speaks to the other miracles of creation — youth, love, and humanity. About the accompanying visuals, the artist stated:

[su_quote]I wanted the video to explore the idea of an impossible encounter. The characters are in different realities: one in which time moves backwards, and one in which time behaves normally. The two people are searching for each other, and in doing so, miss the window in which they could potentially find one another.[/su_quote]

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Claire George – “Bodies of Water” EP tracklist:

01 “Where Do You Go?”

02 “Orbits”

03 “Overwatered”

04 “Second Guesses”

05 “Lonely Or Alone”