Watch: AO Ascends with Bluesy Aches on Moody Debut "Lonely Hunter"

An outpouring of inner passion, AO’s achey debut “Lonely Hunter” fills the void with a catchy blues-driven assertion of self-love and satisfaction.

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It’s a love song to myself, and a cautionary tale, kind of a reminder that true happiness lies within.

Longing and lust, allure and disgust, love… Our hearts have a tendency to push us in many directions at once, filling our minds with thoughts of haves and have-nots. We are driven to want, and think we need, when in truth we are already whole. An outpouring of inner passion, AO’s achey debut “Lonely Hunter” fills the void with a catchy blues-driven assertion of self-love and satisfaction.

my heart is a lonely hunter
swimming in an ocean of thieves
when it rots, pretty baby
it takes everything that it needs

Stream: “Lonely Hunter” – AO

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Lonely Hunter,” AO’s recently-released debut single (November 9, 2018 via Big Deal Media). The project of New York-born, Los Angeles-based artist Aria Pullman Ostrander, AO “means the beginning and the end.” Not only is it representative of Ostrander’s initials, but also it’s a message of potential, of movement, and of a journey: An opportunity to be taken many miles away from our surroundings through music alone. Written together with her husband Mondo Cozmo (they also co-wrote his smash hit “Shine”), “Lonely Hunter” introduces AO as an empowered indie pop force who can masterfully blend styles and sounds from a myriad of decades. We hear inklings of folk, rock, blues, and New Orleans jazz in this debut as Ostrander immerses listeners in an exciting new world.

“Lonely Hunter was the culmination of months of loneliness and a booze filled weekend!” Ostrander tells Atwood Magazine. “After my husband Mondo Cozmo, whom I cowrote the song with, had been on the road for so long we went into the studio one night. He had this awesome beat that he was toying around with and I came up with the chorus almost immediately. The verse, which is basically an old blues riff, came fairly quickly as well. It’s funny how things can pour out of you. Sometimes the best things we write feel like were always there just waiting to be written. I love it!”

Pent-up emotions flood our ears as AO lets loose. She is unhinged and weary, yet full of power. She notes, “It’s a love song to myself, and a cautionary tale, kind of a reminder that true happiness lies within. I also really love the lines in the bridge, being a nod to Muhammed Ali “I try to float like a butterfly but I only sting like a bee.” I wanted to add to that vintage feel by putting in a super sexy trumpet solo to make it feel timeless but be very upbeat and current. I wanted it to feel nostalgic and take the listener somewhere, if only for a time.”

I wanted it to feel nostalgic and take the listener somewhere, if only for a time.

The chorus’ chant, “whoa, I’m more than lonely,” serves as that important message of self-worth and love. We watch as this vision comes into full view through AO’s debut music video, a lo-fi but high-powered embrace of our individual persons.

“[The Lonely Hunter video] was shot solely on my IPAD and IPHONE over one weekend in Santa Cruz,” AO explains. “I wanted to give the video some flavor and I thought the place where LOST BOYS was filmed would be perfect. The city is known for its vampires and I set out to find some! I wanted to capture the vintage feel that the song has using the beat of the beach boardwalk at night. To me LONELY HUNTER is a nighttime jam. I like how it came out and am proud that I shot and edited it all on my own.”

Growing up on a hippy farm in upstate New York, Aria Ostrander’s story is an exciting and eclectic one: In another life, she was the frontwoman for a New York City punk rock band. An environmental advocate, she’s passionate about saving the ocean and overcame a fear of sharks by self-inflicted exposure therapy (she painted them on giant canvases).She’s also an actress and currently works on her own YouTube series, the Out of Luck Show.

“Lonely Hunter” is the lead single off AO’s upcoming debut mixtape, Pop Hallelujah. “I wanted to put together a continuous piece of music,” she explains, noting Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange as an important influence. “I want to be a futuristic, nostalgic, hippy queen. Strong, confident, empowered; someone who knows the heartbreak of life.”

AO is the beginning and the end, but also everything in-between: A dream-weaving teller of tales, the emerging new artist packs a heavy punch with her debut and has us eagerly waiting for more. Stream her debut single “Lonely Hunter” out now, and watch the music video exclusively on Atwood Magazine!