With wistful vocals and tender lyricism, Suki Waterhouse lives ‘la vie en rose’ in the long-awaited single and music video for “Nostalgia.”
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Stream: “Nostalgia” – Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse has garnered immeasurable success in her multi-hyphenate career.
After modeling for designer brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Burberry and being featured on covers of British Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, the English-born creative proved her acting skills in major motion pictures including The Divergent series and Billionaire Boys Club. Notably, fans are excited to see the artist in Amazon Prime’s highly-anticipated series Daisy Jones & The Six, based on the bestselling novel.
Waterhouse also quickly proved herself to be a strong lyricist and captivating musician. The artist’s 2016 debut single “Brutally” was hailed as a cross between Lana Del Rey and Joni Mitchell. Following the success of her first album, I Can’t Let Go, Waterhouse found herself a viral sensation after a slowed and reverbed version of her single “Good Looking” reached millions of streams overnight on TikTok. Quoting inspirations including Sharon Van Etten, Valerie June, Garbage, Frazey Ford, Lou Doillon, and Lucinda Williams, Suki Waterhouse continues to shine with her psychedelic retro-pop sound and tranquil vocals – and in her first single following her debut album, Suki Waterhouse brings us into a rose-tinted fantasy of past love and promise with “Nostalgia.”
Do you still have the CDs that I burned you
The T-shirt you pulled off me
the night you said you loved me
I still have the marks that you made on me
It’s easy to forget that you are gone
I talk about the past like I talk about you
I leave out every little thing that I don’t like remembering
I miss you more than I say I do
You had to follow all your dreams,
move to New York away from me
Released September 8 via Sub Pop Records, “Nostalgia” opens with a combination of atmospheric acoustic guitar and airy vocals, painting a picture of admired fondness in favor of reality.
“The song is about the romance of missing the idea of something, someone,” Waterhouse comments about the new track. “In isolation, I found myself giving into the temptation to reminisce. To sleep in nostalgia is to escape the now, to give into the beauty of an illusion.”
This theme of nostalgia and memory is heavily saturated in Waterhouse’s discography, as she often writes lyrics that highlight her affinity to fantasy. Even in popular singles such as “Melrose Meltdown” and “My Mind,” she heavily pulls from these moments of introspection and paints herself to be incredibly contemplative, even in kinetic, life-altering moments.
You were so easy to forgive, but not so easy to forget
Why can’t I keep you right where I want you?
And even though you put an ocean in between us
I will try to keep us
Together, forever, nostalgia
It’s crazy, baby, I want you
Suki Waterhouse is currently touring across Europe, and raves of her performances continue to dominate social media. Just as the latest single marries harmonies and whispers into an awe-inspiring and ever-so-haunting psychedelic symphony, Waterhouse’s performances feel intimate, whimsical, and contained, exchanging costuming and aesthetics for a meditative aura. Apart from her vocals, the artist plays guitar and even learned piano from scratch for the upcoming television role in Daisy Jones that will likely combine her acting and musical skills. Often posed with a guitar in hand even on her rare off days, the clear passion Waterhouse has for her artistic endeavors is obviously and apparent on the stage.
I just need to know that you are happy
So if it couldn’t be me, then go ahead, forget me
I traced my steps back to where we first met
And hold the memory ’til you slip away
I talk about the past like I talk about you
I leave out every little thing that I don’t like remembering
I miss you more than I say I do
You had to follow all your dreams, just wish that they included me
You were so easy to forgive, but not so easy to forget
Why can’t I keep you right where I want you?
And even though you put an ocean in between us
I will try to keep us
Waterhouse’s performances feel intimate, whimsical, and contained, exchanging costuming and aesthetics for a meditative aura.
“Nostalgia” ends with its chorus, laced with howls and a more sophisticated drumming pattern, effectively giving the song a similar feel to the Tumblr-charged alternative pop sounds of her generation’s early adolescence.
The Émilie Richard-Froozan-directed music video for the single goes even further, boasting expansive English countryside landscapes and 18th Century style wardrobe. Perhaps these aesthetics are a teaser for what’s to come, as the artist’s creative decisions are rarely without purpose.
“It’s the fifth video we’ve collaborated on together,” Waterhouse says of working with Richard-Froozan. “We spoke a lot about how nostalgia is a place you go, a destination. That living there is a choice one makes unapologetically. To live in nostalgia is to dig your own grave, and that’s exactly what I did. The silver lining is that only you can dig yourself out again.”
“This is the story of a woman writing a letter to her childhood love telling him that she’s getting married,” Richard-Froozan says of the video. “She hasn’t heard from him in years and often wonders what might’ve been. I wanted something sweeping and epic and unapologetic. When Suki sent me the song, I was driving through Doolough Valley and the landscape here fit the mood of the music so well. The lake in Doolough had my mind gravitate toward the story of Orpheus & Eurydice and crossing the river Styx. We were also highly influenced by Wuthering Heights and the cliff scene between Heathcliff and Cathy. The whole experience was pretty magical, like the last week of summer camp with a group of old friends.”
As always, we look forward to seeing what Waterhouse produces next, both on and off the screen. Get lost in the daze of Suki Waterhouse’s “Nostalgia,” out now!
Together, forever, nostalgia
It’s crazy, baby, I want you
Together forever, nostalgia
It’s crazy, baby, I want you
Together, forever, nostalgia
It’s crazy, baby, I want you
Together, forever, nostalgia
It’s crazy, baby, I want you
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Stream: “Nostalgia” – Suki Waterhouse
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