London-based pop artist Rae Morris’s new song “Atletico” fizzes with energy, but has an introspective undercurrent. The lyrics center on crushing on someone in the club but losing sight of them: “I leave my light on,” she sings over flickering, Balearic-inspired synths from producers Fryars and My Riot. “I'm atletico, but I'm back here on my own.”
But as Morris’s jubilant new video proves, you’re sometimes better off alone. Following her incredible previous single “Do It,” which showed her bright-eyed and wandering through New York, “Atletico” sees her roaming around New Orleans: she raves with men in banana outfits, makes friends with some drag queens and a snake charmer, and freely dances amidst the city’s neon lights.
In an email to The FADER, Morris explained: “In this video I’m a solo soul-searcher. I take myself off to New Orleans, wandering the city with my guidebook. I get lonely quickly so attempt to meet new people on a night out but keep losing confidence and end up back at my Airbnb, deflated. Eventually, I find my people and get to use my up my energy rather than just wasting it in my own company.
“New Orleans was the perfect place for this video because it’s such a joyous city with the most infectious energy. That’s exactly what ‘Atletico’ is about — having too much energy and not knowing what to do with it.”
Watch the video above. Rae Morris’s new album Someone Out There is out February 2, and her spring 2018 tour dates are here.