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Jun 07, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

Irish indie singer/songwriter Ezra Williams (formerly known as Smoothboi Ezra) first got their start by putting demos up on SoundCloud, followed by their 2019 debut EP, IS IT, and their 2021 EP, Stuck. Over the past year, Williams has been sharing new singles from their forthcoming debut album, Supernumeraries. The full record is out next week on June 16th and ahead of the release, Williams is back today with a final new single, “Skin,” along with an accompanying video, premiering with Under the Radar.

Williams’ latest effort is delicate and haunting in equal measure, carried by loping acoustic guitar and softly swelling backing vocals. But while gently strummed indie folk is often sweet and serene, beneath the soft acoustics and celestial harmonies “Skin” is tortured and unnerved. Williams’ ethereal vocals trace the pain of heartbreak, exploring how you carry that trauma into new relationships. She portrays it as a healing wound, one easily reopened: “I’ve never been / Somebody’s earth / And you do it different / But she did it first / Underneath me in the dirt / Make me feel my worth / Picking skin / Peel it back / Let me in / Fade to black.”

Meanwhile, the accompanying video portrays that tension as a scene of bloody cannibalism. The track begins with a moment of romantic intimacy, but as the song hits its fervent climax the visuals turn macabre and gory as the protagonist’s lover and a group of onlookers feast on them and leave them bleeding out.

Williams says of “Skin,” “This song is about trying to start dating again after heartbreak, the comparing of new people to past and accidentally falling back into bad habits from previous relationships. Knowing you’re not being treated properly but not caring because you can’t handle being alone.”

Check out the song and video below. Supernumeraries is out everywhere on June 16th.