Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan has premiered a new single “Fall”, along with its accompanying video. She debuted both the song and video exclusively though The Wall Street Journal’s website.
The track itself uses minimalistic production to fully highlight Hannigan’s robust vocals. Acoustic guitar clashes with backing strings, encompassing Hannigan in open, airy instrumentation. The guitar and strings combination rarely varies in tempo, forcing the track to rely entirely on vocals for dynamism. Hannigan comes through in full force, using her vocal power to flesh out the simple production.
While “Fall’s” lyrics are quite cryptic, Hannigan herself helped to clarify their meaning.
“There’s a sense of struggle in the song,” Hannigan told The Wall Street Journal. “I didn’t want it to be too literal. It was very peaceful, but a strange, eerie place.”
The song’s video never varies location, capturing Hannigan beneath a forest canopy. She wears a bold red dress and rhythmically dances to her own music. Hannigan said she had a clear vision for the video prior to the shoot, which was filmed in a single afternoon outside London in Alice Holt Forest. .
“I knew I wanted to do was some kind of dance,” Hannigan said. “I’m under absolutely no allusion to my gift as a dancer. But it felt like it was the right thing for this song.”
Hannigan co-wrote “Fall” with songwriter Joe Henry. The single is set to feature on her upcoming third album, At Swim. The National’s Aaron Dessner produced the entirety of the album, and will likely bring new textures to Hannigan’s previously established sound.