I don’t know what I was expecting

Dirty Projectors released a new song and accompanying video today, and man, watching it is one of the nicest possible ways to plunge into melancholia. The video is sparse, to say the least: Dave Longstreth standing alone in wide-open nature scenes, Dave mournfully crouched on a hilltop, Dave playing with a dead dove… If you’ve ever gone through a breakup, watching him sprawl out on a person-sized circle of astro turf looking despondent seems relatable. That familiar posture of self-collapsing sadness feels tangible and weighty. If you haven’t ended a romantic relationship, I guess you could interpret this video as a person alone in the world after a nuclear event (and hey, that’s a real possibility!).

I’ve been a fan of Dave / Dirty Projectors since the mathematically perfected composition of Bitte Orca, and his recent shift to autotuned R&B is not necessarily bad, just different. Maybe I dislike it a little because it’s reminiscent of so many similar Brooklyn artists? Or because there are a couple long shots in the video that could be Beats headphones advertisements? Idk. If we’re being honest though, I am excited to hear more – solely on the basis that it’s a breakup album.

Watch “Little Bubble”: