After three years in the making, David Shears has launched his brand new solo project Strangelands, making his mark with the single “Fictional Lover,” complete with a music video.
The well-travelled artist, who has performed alongside the likes of Mariana’s Trench, Shawn Desman, and Lil’ Jon, combines pop and electronica to explore love and loneliness. The result is a song and video that fit his theme well, albeit in two wildly different ways.
The very nature of the tune’s genre makes it perfect for a club setting, and what better setting to explore the theme of the desire to be loved than a dancefloor populated by potential partners? The track’s electronica edge and swooning lyrics, coupled with a meaning that vibes with one specific reason to go clubbing, make for a tune that local DJs will want to consider adding to their sets.
The video, meanwhile, explores these ideas in a way that’s a bit more visceral. We’re treated to two individuals preparing for what seems like a date. As the story unfolds, it very quickly becomes apparent that it is either one-sided, or completely non-existent.
Needless to say, the story behind the video is very much up for interpretation; on the one hand, the first party who has set up a dinner-for-two in their kitchen (of which they’re the only participant) could be agonizing over a break-up with the second party, who seems to have moved on.
On the other hand, and the title of the track would suggest this interpretation to be the correct one, our vanished heroin could just not be a real person at all, and the gentleman spends all this time preparing a dinner for a person that exists purely in their imagination.
The heart wants what the heart wants, and it can lead to some awfully depressing actions.
The question of whether the song and the video go together well is also up for interpretation, but they both tackle the subject of love and loneliness in their own effective and unique way, and it will be interesting to see what’s next for Strangelands.