Having only released her debut single in January, it’s been a steady climb toward success for Gild Walton since the 23-year-old songwriter cold-pitched Ariana Grande producer Tommy Brown and consequently penned a deal with Brown’s Champagne Therapy Music Group and Republic Records. That first single was recently followed up with another, “Pay for the Pain,” which was a dark take on ’60s pop and R&B.
Today we’re getting a video for the track, which leans heavily both into the track’s throwback girl-group sound and a visual aesthetic as indebted to her interests in Tim Burton and The Phantom of the Opera as it is to the dark cabaret of other artists like The Dresden Dolls. After throwing a few back and being dragged to the stage, Walton performs the single with backing vocals from a chorus of ominous, beach ball–headed vocalists. Watch the surreal clip below.
