WATCH: Faded Paper Figures Release Video For New Single “She’s Walking Out”
WATCH: Faded Paper Figures Release Video For New Single “She’s Walking Out”
Inspired By The Notorious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Duh!)
Faded Paper Figures is gearing up to release their fifth full-length studio album, Kairos, on July 17. Today, the indie, electro-pop trio is excited to debut the album’s third single, “She’s Walking Out”. Beginning with upbeat synths and fading into electronic alternative, their funky sound brings a focal point to their lyrics – a homage to the feminist and historical icon, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The song was written at a turning point in history, with the #MeToo Movement calling for change across the country. Inspired by the movement and in an effort to create something that would support and amplify, the trio created this song and video. Guitarist and vocalist John Williams explains, “Lyrically, the song emerged from quite a different place, I’d just watched RBG, and I was feeling the energy of the #MeToo movement. There’s something powerful about women who recognize when to stand up. It’s an anthem for women saying, ‘Enough is enough.”
The music video for this thought-provoking track starts off in warm, natural light, following a woman walking away from a tense conversation with a man. The camera follows her as she walks through the city, illuminated by the city streets and headlights. Coming face to face with a mural of an owl [The Nature of Wisdom by Vexta], she continues on in technicolor, her silhouette bursting with different colors and scenes. The further she walks, the more powerful and liberating the video grows – lyrics guide the purpose in her walk, “But she can’t, and she will not shrug it off.” The lively visuals paired with the inspiring and moving lyrics bring a sense of freedom to fans watching.
“The video for “She’s Walking Out” was the first collaboration of band member Kael Alden (who directed, edited, and created all the VFX) and Boston McConnaughey (director of photography), and Renny Grames (producer). The challenge was to make an interesting video of someone simply walking,” said John. “Luckily, the natural charisma of Adrienne Dixon (who stars in the film) made filming these scenes easier than it might have been. Unexpectedly, while filming in downtown Salt Lake City, the entire crew was struck by the haunting presence of an owl mural created by the artist Vexta on a nearby building. Just by intuition, they put together a few shots around it, and later when they contacted Vexta, she was excited to have us use it in the video! The song itself is about the need to have resilience and strength when it’s time to ‘walk out,’ and the entire vision of the owl flying through seemed to beautifully fit the image of the song.”
While Faded Paper Figures has been performing together since 2007, the trio that lights up the stage together each possess unique talents that span far beyond the scope of music. John Williams is an author and full-time professor of English at Yale, Kael Alden composes music for a production company called Robot Repair and has music appearing in films, TV shows, video games, and ads, and Heather Alden is a family medicine physician who has currently been making a difference on the frontline of the pandemic.
Their growing discography includes Dynamo (2008), New Medium (2010), The Matter (2012), Relics (2014), Remnants EP (2015), and Chronos EP (2017). They have attracted acclaim from NPR, Paste, Clash, and Wonderland. Their music has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and MTV’s The Real World, as well as other programming across NBC Sports, E!, and more.
