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Photo: Angella Choe

Indigo De Souza meets us at the crossroads of freedom and loneliness in her pandemic-inspired tune, “Smog,” wherein she learns to cope with the terrifying empowerment of her life’s structure falling apart.

The indie-pop-rock experience bursts with the rabid euphoria of being the main character on an abandoned film set. Indigo De Souza leads us through a world that’s been put on pause, baring her deepest thoughts. Accompanied by a wonderfully bizarre music video, “Smog” is a colorful step closer to the indie artist’s forthcoming LP, All of This Will End, set to release April 28.

De Souza’s signature lyricism fronts “Smog,” laced with the casual scorn of cynicism and softened by nostalgia. She pairs her words with such a lively track that the combo almost counteracts itself, and the cheerful arrangement begins to hint at the hollow duality of the lyrics. It’s exhaustion and ecstasy, delusion and reality all at once. The contented buzz of the synths and peppy drums are both blissful and caricatured, capturing both sides of De Souza’s spiral.

"I remember writing this song during the peak of the pandemic," shares De Souza. "I was living alone on a dead end street surrounded by neighbors who were seemingly always mowing their lawns. I remember having a lot of anxiety during the day, navigating the newly awkward and uncertain experience of doing anything mid world freak-out. I was in an emotional state that felt like a cross between delirious joy and a real tired hopelessness. Everything felt unknown and distant. 'Smog' is mostly about that strange time and how it felt in my house, alone. When the neighborhood was asleep, and all the lawn mowers stopped, I felt free to make anything and sing anything I wanted. It was my first time ever living alone. It brought me a lot closer to myself."

Supporting this eccentric release, Indigo De Souza self-directed the music video for “Smog.” The video radiates with an eerie joyousness, inviting viewers into a world where strangers in a convenience store don glittery personas and disco dance moves after hours. It feels like a fever dream in the most fitting way and provides the perfect backdrop to really internalize the song’s intention.

Never failing to envelop listeners in a surprising new indie-pop-dreamscape, De Souza is laying the groundwork for a polychromatic experience of an album with “Smog.”

Watch the "Smog" video below: