Swedish alt-pop artist RIVER dives headfirst into lust, obsession and self-sabotage on ‘City of thirst’, the latest taste of forthcoming debut album A dying source, due November 13. Exploring the irresistible pull towards something you know is bad for you, the track turns toxic desire into something suitably intoxicating.
And ‘City of thirst’ is highly cinematic. Synths, horns and even flashes of flute create a dramatic, constantly evolving backdrop for RIVER’s breathy, seductive vocal, with the arrangement eventually soaring towards almost heavenly heights. There’s a haunting quality running beneath its beauty too, perfectly capturing that tension between recognising the danger and surrendering to it anyway.
The accompanying video takes the cinematic ambition even further, drawing heavily from Natural Born Killers. RIVER and her male counterpart recreate Mickey and Mallory’s unofficial bridge wedding before cruising the highway in a classic open-top car, surrounded by surreal, dreamlike and hyper-stylised imagery. The references are unmistakable but perfectly suited to a song about all-consuming attraction. ‘City of thirst’ doesn’t just explore toxic love – it makes the whole terrible idea look dangerously appealing.
