LA Based, NZ Artist Lisa Crawley Delivers Moody New Single And Video, ‘Hey You’

Aotearoa’s LA-based artist Lisa Crawley has today released her introspective new single and video ‘Hey You’.

A moody, sultry melody - not out of place for an old Noir or Western film - also carries a playfulness reminiscent of 1960’s doo-wop, with its lighthearted and catchy ‘heys’ dotted throughout the choruses. Crawley’s songwriting prowess is on full display here, as she moves from hook-laden moments into thoughtful, emotive verses.

“‘Hey You’ is about investigating the layers and complexities we have as humans, trying to understand them more,” she explains. “It’s coming to the conclusion there’s certain feelings and emotions we have that we may never be able to pinpoint, but are certainly there. It explores a sense of loneliness that can be hard to define - the type you can feel even when in the company of others.” 

Recorded, mixed and mastered by frequent collaborator – the grammy-nominated Rob Kleiner in LA - ‘Hey You’ leans sonically into the world of retro music, which initially began as a voice note with as many verses as a Leonard Cohen song.

“I’ve been playing it live both solo and with a band, and when it’s the solo version it ends up sounding like it’s something in a Western saloon! Rob Kleiner and I did all the instrumentation, apart from the acoustic guitar which my cousin Mark Perkins kindly added remotely over in New Zealand.”

Also out today is the video; directed, shot and edited by Will Cook (LA). Inspired by 90s music videos, the visuals were shot at the iconic Hollywood lounge featured in notable movies and TV shows - most famously the TV series Mad Men and the movie Swingers. Conceptually, the video mirrors the songs’ meaning, demonstrating how “someone can be pretending or seeming to have a good time but struggling internally.”

“The video captures the essence of the song; of feeling lonely, despite what may seem as someone to be living their best life,” says Crawley. “To me, the struggling artist in the video could represent anyone who’s struggling to find the meaning and purpose to what they’re doing.”

Today’s single follows her recently released 60s-inspired indie folk track ‘Boy Don’t Cry’, which featured on KCRW’s Eclectic 24,was produced by Crawley herself. With ‘Hey You’ giving a taste of the forthcoming EP, with more Rob Kleiner dark pop-collabs to come, Crawley also shares there’ll be “a focus on some piano based songs I’d been working on for awhile. I’m very excited to share that later on this year.” Keep an ear out!

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