Veteran idiosyncratic singer-songwriter Beck poses a dreary existential question in the chorus of “Dear Life”, the fourth track from his upcoming 13th album Colors (October 3rd, via Capitol Records): ‘Dear life, I'm holding on/ How long must I wait/ Before the thrill is gone?’. His outlook on the song’s verses is even bleaker. His second person address features dogs that listen to your ‘swan song’ and make ‘mincemeat’ of your dreams, costly sins, money weighing on your conscience, being a fool for love, driving a Rolls ‘into the swamp’, and the price you have to pay to buy back your soul ‘from the burning ashes of the devil you know’. Anyone would have trouble maintaining their grip on the situation in such circumstances.
Sonically, the track tells a different story. Colors was largely co-produced with veteran hitmaker Greg Kurstin (who has worked with Adele, Tegan and Sara, Sia, Pink and Ellie Goulding), and it features dynamic guitars and off-kilter piano that elevate the track into a bright and kinetic affirmation of life’s thrills and spills. As promised to Rolling Stone, Beck blends retro and modern influences in a complex yet accessible track that is “trying to do two or three things at once”. The song ends with a refrain of ambiguous la-la-las, footnoting Beck’s ambivalent and multifaceted take on life’s contrasting palette of emotions: ennui, exhilaration, disappointment, ambivalence. While well-received by critics, it remains to be seen if Beck’s new radio-leaning work can crack the Billboard Hot 100 (his last entries date back to 2005).
The accompanying lyric video features an artistic juxtaposition of animation sequences and live footage, courtesy of Portland-based Drew and Rhiannon Tyndell, the brains behind creative studio Computer Team:
“Graphic artist Jimmy Turrell, visuals designer behind Beck’s upcoming album Colors, approached us to make some animations to collage into his lyric video for ‘Dear Life.’ We took inspiration from his album artwork, incorporating bold geometric shapes in bright colors to be juxtaposed against cinematic scenes: sometimes dark, sometimes strange, sometimes cryptic. The result, like the song’s lyrics, is a mashup of imagery and meaning. Rotoscoped ants and burning cars.”
Kristin Hillery, in Blog
