Listening to Jillian Lake’s new single Human feels oddly intrusive and intimate. It reminds me of the icy, uneasy beauty of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for David Fincher’s 2011 movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Impossibly dreamy, but with these glitchy, flickering textures that creep in and throw everything slightly off balance.
Human is about the fear of losing your sense of self, that moment when the things that once inspired you and made you who you are start to feel distant and numb.
The song begins with soft, water-like acoustics that ripple underneath, giving space for Lake’s feather-light vocals to hover. It feels calm on the surface, but there’s an air of intrigue beneath it.
“’Human’ is a song I wrote about the fear that you’re losing pieces of yourself, and starting to not recognize yourself. I remember the first time I saw the eiffel tower I was so amazed and astonished. When I went back to Paris years later I just stared at it and didn’t really feel anything. It scared me that I lost that sense of wonder. I missed the old version of myself.” – Jillian Lake
The music video directed by Lauren Kurc offers the same kind of intimacy and vulnerability in the song. Snapshots of quiet, personal moments we feel we are not supposed to see.
As the song builds, the cinematic elements gather. Layers folding into each other, thickening the mood. It mirrors that slow, creeping realisation that something inside has shifted, and you’re not quite sure how to get it back.
This is one for when you’re feeling a little lost and introspective.
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