Red Light Management

New Video: Bat For Lashes, ‘Laura’

July 24, 2012

Natasha Khan, A.K.A. Bat For Lashes, has never been one to shy away from drama. And the U.K. singer’s latest cinematic video for “Laura” finds her heading from the dressing room to the stage, soundtracked by a show-stopping song that ought to play over a Baz Luhrmann film. The song begins as a hushed, spare piano ballad before a string section and Khan’s rising vocals bring it to the passionate chorus: “You’re the train that crashed my heart/ you’re the glitter in the dark,” she sings, in a melodic ascent that’s very “Hallelujah.” (Baz, have your people call her people, ASAP.) The video, in which Khan dances with an aging performer in an empty theater, adds a tender dimension to the lyrics: “Laura, you’re more than a superstar.” It blooms into a respectful homage to fading fame instead of a tribute to today’s chart-toppers. But Khan’s best days may be happening right now. At minimum, her bangs game is FLAWLESS. As glam as she looks in the simple, stylish video, we’re still stuck on the eye-catching art for her forthcoming third album, The Haunted Man. It’s a brave photo that captures Khan in the buff, hoisting a nude fella over her shoulders as if she’s carrying him back to the campfire to cook for dinner. Gender roles! Is it weird that we’re kinda hungry?

 

+ Watch Bat For Lashes’ “Laura” video.