LA-based indie-folk songwriter Emma Ayzenberg returned last month with a laidback new single called “Another Spring,” which teased the impending release of a debut record called Child of Saturn. Today she returns to announce a release date for the project—September 18—as well as another cut from the album, which she notes isn’t necessarily representative of what else is to follow. “This was one of the first songs we recorded for Child of Saturn, but it’s quite different than the rest of the record,” she shares. “‘I Will Pretend’ is very upbeat, the lyrics are really literal, plus Carly [Bond, a.k.a. Meernaa] went absolutely wild on the guitar part.”
The sultry new cut pairs the warm sounds of a Laurel Canyon string section with tense vocal and guitar parts that feel a bit like being trapped in a hot car on a long drive—which, as the track’s music video suggests—very much seems to be the intention. Shot along the San Gabriel Mountains north of LA with Alex LaLiberte on a scorching afternoon, the clip wound up being a bit more literal than either of them had ever intended. “We ended up acting out the exact situation the song came from,” Ayzenberg reveals. “I was about to have a really intense conversation with a friend, and the tire quite literally blew out. That unexpected pause led me to reflect on the psychic cost of losing yourself in someone else, and I think the campiness and emotionality of the video really captures that spiral. Alex’s little crew and I had so much fun that day.”
Check out the video below, or stream the single here.
