On September 16th, film composer and Faded Paper Figures bandmate Kael Alden shared his latest music video for the soulful synthwave track “Shiver.” The video release highlights the artist’s solo debut album, “Saturated Highs,” available now on all music platforms.
The video finds Kael approaching a mountain lake at dusk. Alone and out of place, he enters the uncomfortably cold water one step at a time with great hesitation. Overhead shots of the murky depths and tilting angles add to the feeling of being outside of space and time — perhaps the perceived dangers within Kael’s own mind.
Yet, there’s a stark beauty to the rippling water as he slowly acclimates to the hair-raising coldness till he’s neck-deep — too late to back out now. The full beauty of the water and its bubbles is caught in high definition when he finally dives underneath, just as “Shiver’s” soundscape washes over the listener.
The self-produced visuals paint a clear picture of Kael’s vision for the track. Written during lockdown and in the midst of other jarring life changes, “Shiver” conveys the need to embrace discomfort in the interest of enacting personal growth.
“Initially, the thought of intentionally seeking imperfections in myself and my relationships, looking for scabs to pick at, was daunting,” says Kael about the experiences that inspired the track and video. “A very uncomfortable and vulnerable position. But eventually you do get used to it… hell, you may even enjoy it.”
Like stepping into freezing water, these life experiences activate every protective instinct in your body at first, urging you to step away and keep to what’s comfortable. But sometimes, the only way to find your footing is to take those first tentative steps into a seemingly treacherous environment, and to learn to float despite the risk.
Fans of Kael’s work can watch the “Shiver” music video below. Find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixdown playlist on Spotify and YouTube.
Emma Downes is a recent graduate of DeSales University in Center Valley, PA, where she studied English and Communication. As a lifelong writer and music lover, she is happy to be incorporating both into her work for Alchemical Records. When she’s not writing, she enjoys getting to know the DMV entertainment scene, drawing, and spending time with her four siblings.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
