Squirrel Flower has released a new music video for “Flames and Flat Tires,” a single from their upcoming studio album, Planet (i), out June 25 via Polyvinyl. This latest music video was directed by Lua Borges, a Brazillian filmmaker who has worked with Beach Bunny.
“Flames and Flat Tires” hosts a somber, piano-driven instrumental that is guided by frontwoman Ella Williams’ strong voice. The track was written during the pandemic as Williams spent time in Bristol, which is echoed perfectly throughout the music video, as it portrays images of decay. Scenes of broken electronics, and old, abandoned factories also gives the video an environmentalist message, as the Earth’s decay mirrors the experiences of the song’s narrator.
“I wrote ‘Flames & Flat Tires’ on my second day of quarantine in Bristol, England ahead of recording,” Williams explained in a press release. “It was late August, hot, I was staying in a place that opened onto a party street, and every night I stayed up listening to the sounds of the revelers and the birds squawking and screaming until 6am, then all day watched people hanging laundry in their backyards through my kitchen window. This was one of those tunes that just falls out.”
“Flames and Flat Tires,” along with the rest of Planet (i), was recorded at the Bristol recording studio The Playpen, owned by Ali Chant. Bristol drummer Matt Brown and Portishead’s Adrian Utley took part in the recording sessions for the album, as did several members of Williams’ friends and family.