Vanessa Carlton Unveils Surreal Music Video for “Back To Life”

Towards the beginning of this year, Vanessa Carlton released her ethereal album, Love Is An Art. Following the singles “Future Pain,” “The Only Way To Love,” “Miner’s Canary,” and “Die, Dinosaur” — most of which had music videos — today, another album track gets the video treatment. One of the more unearthly experiences on the record is “Back To Life,” and its new music video is similarly uncanny.

Piano and vocals match each other in melody, each line a descension from beginning to end. It sounds like a dark lullaby, and the chorus only verifies this as Vanessa sings, “Pendulum above my body swings; know that I’m a living, breathing thing.” The bridge exalts the song, ghostly vocals fading in over piano and violins. “Back To Life” is an eerie track, and mesmerizing enough to keep you coming back to it.

Its new music video is an unusual experience. It starts with Vanessa, facing away from the camera and gazing at an upside-down skyline. It feels like a dream, then she falls down, sucking us into her nightmare with her. Like a bird or a drone, we fly above a wintery, mountainous landscape, the tilting screen, filters, and triangular shapes creating extra tension. Suddenly, we see Vanessa in her cabin studio, playing piano and conjuring up this song. Then it’s back to our surreal soaring over nature. It feels like an abstract mini movie.

Watch the eldritch music video for “Back To Life” below:

“Back To Life” appears on Vanessa’s latest album, Love Is An Art, released last March. You can stream or buy the album from all the major music providers here.

Love Is An Art

Love Is An Art came out in March 2020. It includes her singles “Future Pain,” “The Only Way To Love,” “Miner’s Canary,” and “Die, Dinosaur,” plus studio versions of songs she’d previously performed live: “Love Is An Art,” “I Know You Don’t Mean It,” and “Salesman.” The album also includes a track called “Patience,” which Vanessa had first previewed back in 2012.

Listen to the full album, and be sure to read our track-by-track review of it here.

More Vanessa Carlton News

Enjoy the new music video for “Back To Life,” and be sure to listen to all of Love Is An Art. As always, keep checking back here for all the latest Vanessa Carlton music news.

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