By Emma Page
Indie rock singer/songwriter Alicia Blue explores life directions, self-awareness, and new beginnings in her recently released music video for her new single, “Dog Days in LA”. The track comes from her new EP, Inner Child Work, set for release on July 15.
“‘Dog Days in LA’ is a bridge between old and new, between folk and rock, between what was, what is and what’s to come,” Blue says.
The video, directed by Tyler Dunning Evans, begins with Blue, who is originally from LA, stepping into a yellow convertible that has its top down, then starting to drive, leaving the viewer wondering: where is she going?
The frame shrinks as Blue vulnerably sings about the LA loneliness she has experienced, and the difficulties of grappling how to navigate life when it isn’t necessarily all figured out.
Filmed in and around the outskirts of Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, the music video provides scenic views, both of nature and the bustling city. Fog contributes to the dreamy atmosphere, and the camera shifts several times up to the birds in the sky.
Blue takes a backseat from driving to ride in the back of the car as she sings the chorus: “Still we call it beautiful / when the sunset meets the smog / and still I say I’m doing well / even when I’m not / Dog Days in LA, in LA”.
She then sings directly to the viewer as city traffic passes behind her, and we’re taken for another journey during the chorus as Blue stands and looks up while someone drives her through a tunnel – an ultimate self-reflection.
Purple tones consume the frame during the song’s bridge, as Blue takes off her jacket and sings of sitting and observing sights in Malibu. She continues to take off layers while singing the chorus, emphasizing her vulnerability.
The video ends with her driving away, and we can’t help but wonder: Where is she going next?
Blue is now based in Nashville after gaining clarity towards this album, leaving behind her life in LA and giving her a new perspective on life. “The poet in me sees the lost souls everywhere in LA … at open mics, bars, parties, shows and more. I even saw it in myself,” Blue says. “I hit a point where I started to understand myself, realizing I hadn’t known WTF I was doing for so long, around a bunch of other people who didn’t know WTF they were doing either. Eventually, you just have to let yourself say goodbye… not with any intention of superiority, but with a sense of finding something new.”
She collaborates with Nashville-based songwriter and producer Lincoln Parish, originally of the band Cage the Elephant, who helped her by providing “a solid musical foundation” and new elements to weave into her “most creative writing work to date.”
Watch the video here and find more great new music on our Alchemical Multigenre Mixdown Playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
Emma Page, a recent Journalism graduate of The George Washington University, possesses a passion for music journalism and storytelling in all its forms. Originally from Baltimore, MD, when she is not writing, she can be found at a local concert or making music of her own.
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