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Photo: Colin Miller

Alt-pop star Nessa Barrett continues to pave her own path with her latest single, "american jesus." On the track, she continues highlighting her deliciously devious brand of pop while exploring themes of longing and desire.

The sultry single opens with Barrett's cheeky lyrics using religious imagery to symbolize reckless young love. She sings, "He's got a cross on his neck / But he spends Sundays in my bed," and emphasizes her devotion with the line, "Knees down at your altar." As she coos over gently thrumming guitar riffs, she asks her lover to take her to heaven, declaring, "You know you're my weakness, American Jesus, save me... you're the greatest love of my life."

"It's about the fantasy of someone who is your savior, your cowboy in a crown," shared the singer. "Everyone dreams about a love that's heavenly, and I know everyone will be able to relate to this."

The accompanying music video, directed by Loris Russier, sees Barrett in classic, small-town America. As she sits in a trailer reading, the object of her affection cruises by on a motorcycle, stopping at her front door to bring her along for the ride. They dance, make out on a kitchen table, and toss money in the air before getting married at sunset. Trouble in paradise ensues when the authorities come looking for the wanted cowboy. Barrett is awoken by him, and the newlyweds make a hasty escape toward their getaway plane. Unfortunately, they can't escape fast enough, and tears fall down Barrett's cheek as her love is arrested.

"amercian jesus" arrives after the release of her last single, "BANG BANG!," a fiery punk-inspired anthem that weaves revenge fantasies into screeching guitar and driving drums. Before that, Barrett released a bevy of standout tracks in 2022, including "die first," "tired of california," and "lovebomb," all taken from her  acclaimed debut album young forever. After being named as one of Billboard's "21 Under 21"—as well as being featured on Ones to Watch's list of "25 Artists to Watch in 2022," Uproxx's "Next Hitmakers List," and People Magazine's "Emerging Artist List" —Barrett has gone on to accumulate more than 1.3 billion audio streams to date. She was also nominated for Push Performance of the Year at the 2022 MTV VMAs. In addition, she played her first festival last year at When We Were Young in Las Vegas and is set to perform at Reading & Leeds Festival this August.

Watch the "american jesus" video below: