Swedish singer-songwriter Juli von Lou explores love, self-worth and healing on ‘To A Girl From West Virginia’, taken from her debut EP The Tales of a Honky Tonk Alien, out November 6. Written about a woman who helped her rediscover her value following a destructive relationship, the song celebrates a connection that never became romantic but changed her life. “She made me realise that it was possible to fall in love again. And that love doesn’t have to feel like a heart attack,” Juli explains.
Delicate piano melodies and understated strings accompany Juli’s fragile, breathy vocal, retaining the vintage, otherworldly quality of her earlier work. Audible piano pedals and subtle creaks create a remarkable sense of intimacy, while the sound of a striking match punctuates a lyric about burning an unworn wedding dress. The result is beautifully sparse and bittersweet.
Its cinematic video offers a darker interpretation. Introduced as the ‘lovesick lady’, Juli drags a shrouded body through the Swedish woods before burning it, eventually appearing in handcuffs. Shot with a retro photographic quality, the surreal narrative symbolises the destruction of her former self. Together, song and video explore the painful but necessary process of learning to love yourself again.
