The sweeping grandeur and introspection of Joshua Tree seeps into Leah Capelle’s stunning “friends” video, the poignant finale to her ‘triptych’ storyline.

Stream: “friends” – Leah Capelle

If we can take one thing away from Leah Capelle’s three-part triptych video series, it is that endings do not need to be happy in order to be meaningful.

Sometimes, bittersweet closure is therapy in and of itself, as is evidenced in Capelle’s poignant and reflective “friends.” Concluding the three-part video series of “know me better” and “on accident” from her recently-released debut album, the “friends” video delivers a pensive finale to a messy romantic dissolution filled with heartache and uncertainty, tranquility and acceptance.

It’s the kind of finale that marks the end of a chapter, more so than the end of a timeline.

Gone half a year
But still in the same damn places –
So much has changed here,
But we still have the same two faces

When I saw you park,
Didn’t know if I could say this:
That it’s been endless dark,
But i’m glad we took our spaces

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Didier Konings-directed music video for “friends,” the closing song off Leah Capelle’s debut album triptych. Previously described (by this writer) as intimate and nuanced, triptych is a well-rounded breath of self-discovery and a sweeping introduction to Los Angeles singer/songwriter Leah Capelle: “Her words hit hard for all those undergoing their own transformation, who are presently discovering themselves or in the midst of becoming someone new… Best experienced as one cinematic movement, this album will at worst entrance and delight, and at best leave you feeling a little more in control and connected – to yourself, and to your surroundings.”

Shot in Joshua Tree with a stunning yellow sky in the background, “friends” finds Capelle looking back on her relationship’s twists and turns – wondering if the two of them can come out unscathed as friends, or if they’ve reached an impasse they can’t overcome. A somber set of observations set to a poignant soundtrack, “friends” is brings to life those intimate wonderings one might scribe in their diary, but be too afraid to admit to their ex-partner, let alone to themselves. She pours herself out in an aching chorus:

So tell me about what’s been going on
‘Cause I’ve been locked out for so long –
And tell me how you need to work out
And I’ll tell you about my songs –
And we can be friends, we can be

“Five months after we broke up, my ex called me on his birthday to get coffee. We sat there for two hours, showing each other new music, catching up about how our lives had been since we’d last seen each other, and sharing how hard our separation was on both of us,” Capelle recalls. “I had since moved out of our old apartment, and we realized that we were basically next door neighbors – somehow not more than three blocks from each other in a massive city filled with millions of people. After a noticeably long silence, we launched into a conversation about whether or not we could be friends. At the time, it seemed like the best we could do given the circumstances, and I think we both truly wanted it to work.”

She continues, “I wrote this song as a way to ease into the new chapter in our relationship. I actually played it for him a few weeks later down in Joshua Tree, where we were for an annual birthday celebration with all of our friends. Joshua Tree was a test – a toe dipped in freezing water – and it was too much for me to bear. As the record was coming into focus, I knew this piece had to be the closer. With triptych as the catalyst, and friends as the concession, I recorded vocals for both songs in the same day – the beginning and the end of the story as one.”

Grateful for the sun
‘Cause I can blush undercover.
Now we each are one,
Where we used to have each other

So don’t let the thought
Of all of the hurt resurface –
We both failed a lot,
But none of it was on purpose

So tell me about what’s been going on
‘Cause I wanna hear it so bad
And tell me how you’re sleeping now
When you’re touring with your band –
And we can be friends, we can

As the end of this “era” for Leah Capelle, it feels only fitting that she would employ the sweeping grandeur and introspection of Joshua Tree for her visuals. The desert’s beauty brings out her experirence’s intimacy with extra color and intrigue.

“When I first conceptualized my album, triptych, I always envisioned a visual album – I wanted to pick three songs that could connect together, and tell a stripped down version of my story through imagery,” the artist explains. “‘know me better’ and ‘on accident’ became ‘part one’ and ‘part two’ respectively, even though ‘on accident’ is actually the prequel to the ‘know me better’ video: the inciting incident, and the grieving process. The video for ‘friends’ then became part three in the triptych visual series, the resolution to the story. Memories of ‘alder lake,’ ‘know me better,’ and ‘on accident’ are woven throughout footage from Joshua Tree, as I performed this song almost exactly a year after I had performed it for my ex the first time.”

You read my letter,
And I thought that you threw it away.
You said, you said you left her –
I didn’t know what to say…
But I can see you smiling –
And you don’t wanna look away.
You said that you’d been thinking
About calling someday…

“friends” ends exactly as it should, on a note of uncertainty and acceptance. Who’s to say what the future will bring to any relationship? Wrapping up the past with a song and visual full of intensely tangible feelings, Capelle’s conclusion is the closure she needs for the moment; a send-off into tomorrow that leaves us refreshed and ready to move on.

Watch the video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and learn more about Leah Capelle and triptych in our Atwood feature! triptych is out now.

So I shouldn’t lie –
I have been waiting for this.
Though my eyes are now dry,
They have been creaking coffins.

So tell me about what’s been going on
‘Cause I’ve been wrapped up in your absence
And I’ll tell you how I’m feeling better now
And that it isn’t an accident
That we can be friends, we can be friends, we can
We can be friends, we can
We can be friends, we can
We can be, we can

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Stream: “friends” – Leah Capelle

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? © Mackenzie Breeden

triptych

an album by Leah Capelle