July Talk – Pay For It (Music Video)
Many remember the first time hearing the gritty, contrasting alternative rock sound of July Talk with their 2012 debut. It was a sharp and compelling style that eventually swept into a more well-rounded sound for their 2016 follow-up Touch. Now, the Toronto-based band lead by Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay have continued to evolve and surprise with their newly announced third studio album Pray For It.
Out on July 10th, (the first album to be released in the month of July in case you were wondering), they have shared the album’s lead single “Pay For It” along with its stunning music video, shot in their familiar black and white aesthetic.
Although fans may be expecting something loud and striking, “Pay For It” allows the band to step out of the mould ever so slightly and create something more ethereal and compelling. Fluttering guitar effects and echoing soundscapes pack together in shoegaze fashion, behind a gentle piano chord progression and Fay’s shimmering vocals.
Hospitals, construction sites, and subway lines provide the backdrop for July Talk’s narrative in the black-and-white music video, bringing out the song’s striking style through strong imagery and articulate actions. Written about the constant conflict of breaking old habits, Fay explains:
“I wrote this song after a group of men violently attacked my friends and bandmates in a fast-food restaurant one late summer night. Their rage erupted quickly and violently, like an old habit. This song gave me a chance to reimagine the experience with a sense of agency, to tell it like it is, like it always has been. If we question our ingrained habits which recycle states of violence, greed, destruction, and hate, we can disrupt these toxic patterns and heal”.
Watch the music video below and head to their website to pre-order Pray For It.
