• News

• All

Jun 07, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Ryan Deag

Brighton-based trio CIEL made waves last year, releasing their debut Movement EP, and making our 21 For 2021 list of up and coming acts. Consisting of Michelle Hindriks (vocals, guitar), Jorge Bela Jimenez (guitar, synthesizer, bass), Tim Spencer (drums), the trio have been crafting their own take on indie pop while bringing elements of shoegaze, noir rock, electronica, dream pop into the mix. We last heard from the band with their melancholic new single, “Never Alone Again,” and now the band are back, sharing the video for the new track, premiering with Under the Radar.

“Never Alone Again” layers dream-like melodies and hazy guitar passages over stark confessionals, making for a lush combination of soul-baring melancholy and elusive beauty. Hindriks pens one of her most honest tracks yet, confessing the numbness and isolation that can weigh so deeply on a person—“I’m so crippled by memories/ Often stuck in this tendency/ Trying not to feel much anymore.” Yet the song is equally a demonstration of the band’s stellar melodic sensibilities, marrying the longing tone with yearning guitar pop.

The video strikes on a similar combination of lighthearted fun and underlying sadness, tracing a carefree night out and the wistful rise of the morning. CIEL says of the video, “We filmed the video over the course of one night in Brighton, hanging out on the streets. It is kind of made in a spontaneous way - a lot of stuff that is happening in the video wasn’t planned and just happened during the night. We are so happy with the end result that Chris came out with! The lyrics of the song have a dark side to them, I love how the video conveys this dark side, yet is still lighthearted and brought to you with humour.”

Check out the song and video below.