London-born, Paris-based artist Flora Hibberd explores the disruptive pull of desire on ‘Silent Movie Baby’, the latest single from her forthcoming second album Mammoth, due October 16 via 22TWENTY. Hibberd describes the song as capturing the moment when “sudden, big, unhelpful desire crashes into your life and changes everything for a few weeks.”
Despite that upheaval, ‘Silent Movie Baby’ feels wonderfully buoyant. Bouncing keys and synth sit within an otherwise organic alt-folk arrangement, while a subtle distortion gives Hibberd’s dreamy vocal an intriguing edge. There’s even a faint Britpop quality to her delivery, but the real delight comes from the little flute flourishes dancing through the chorus. A brief middle-eight breakdown shifts the texture without disturbing the song’s easy momentum, leaving behind an understated but unmistakable sense of euphoria.
Victor Claas’ accompanying video offers a stranger counterpoint. Grainy, homemade footage moves through grass and shadowy outdoor spaces from a roaming first-person perspective, giving the visuals an uneasy found-footage quality. Where the video feels mysterious and slightly disorientating, however, the song itself proves unexpectedly joyful.
