Ernest Greene, a.k.a. Washed Out, has released the third single for his upcoming fourth album, Purple Noon. Along with the single comes a NSFW music video, featuring a lesbian couple making out and taking off their clothes in a field of flowers. What starts out as a picnic for two alongside nature escalates into a passionate display of love. 

The song on its own is one of Greene’s dreamiest efforts. By now, he’s figured out the Washed Out vocal style to such an extent that the vocals can only be described as “washed out.” While chillwave began with lo-fi aesthetics, Washed Out is now out to prove the potential of clean production with such a reverb-laden sound. The bass line also plays an important role in this single, making the relaxed tune danceable.

Lyrics from it are centered around longing for a lover to return. “You’re Always On My Mind / Can’t Wait Another Night / When Are You Coming Home? / I Need To See You Now” Greene sings in the chorus. Juxtaposed with these feelings of desire, the video is full to the brim with the thrill of present love.

The video isn’t just there as a sensual backdrop to the music. Director Caroline Koning and Cinematographer Douwe Hennink, along with a full production crew, came together to make the visuals look more than professional. A brief rainstorm in the middle of the video muffles the music a bit to play-up the girls’ laughter, the car doors, and the sound of the rain. The girls are all smiles throughout many close-up shots and the camera mirroring the lovers.

“Time to Walk Away,” Washed Out’s previous single, also had a similarly well put together video from a different team. That video also had glimpses of nudity, but nothing full-on NSFW like “Paralyzed.” The first single from Purple Noon, “Too Late,” was meant to have a different video, but thanks to Covid-19, had to be replaced with a collage of crowd-sourced travel footage. These two singles are similarly dreamy, with spaced-out vocal delivery to match their prolonged synth chords and electronic drum rhythms.

Purple Noon is due out August 7 on Sub Pop.

Photo credit: Brett Padelford