“I Can See You,” the hypnotic new track from Hamburg-based musician Sophia Kennedy, is partly about the silver lining in personal defeat. Preparing for the release of her sophomore album Monsters, which was announced with the funky “Cat on My Tongue,” this latest single feels reminiscent of the pop buoyancy produced by Animal Collective or Rostam. “I Can See You” is an endurance test of percussive shakes and chimes, with Kennedy’s vocals beaming with morbid optimism. “We’ll both look the same once we lie in our graves,” she sings.
“The song is about overcoming and confrontation and also about the euphoria that can arise from a supposed defeat,” Kennedy shared. “Musically it was intended to be powerful while the voice seems to have fallen out of time. Vocally I orientated myself a bit on the wonderful Karen Dalton in the verse, she has the great ability to combine abysmal, melancholy and hope in one.”
In the accompanying Timo Schierhorn–directed video, Kennedy rivals Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting skills by performing the infamous quaalude Lamborghini scene from Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street. The scene itself, which is ridiculous and dark and humorous, is a perfect pairing with Kennedy’s poignant dance music.
Listen and watch below.
