Seattle songwriter Whitney Ballen has unveiled the official video for “Black Cloud,” one of the highlights off of last year’s You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship. Filmed by Jake Menne with assistance from Daniel Chesney and Skyler Ford (of local band Snuff Redux), the video sees Ballen drive down a deserted forest road with a terrifying masked figure haunting her throughout the long drive. It’s a perfect companion to the emotive Microphones-esque brooder of a song, which explodes and breaks multiple times throughout in cathartic liberation.
Released back in August, You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship follows two EPs of quietly disarming and introspective songs, 2014’s FALLS and 2017’s Being Here Is Hard. The new record made it on KEXP’s top Pacific Northwest albums of 2018 list. Next week, Ballen will be embarking on a run of tour dates supporting Half Waif on her west coast run plus playing SXSW and Treefort.
Read the list of dates below and watch the video for “Black Cloud” as well as Ballen’s KEXP in-studio performance from last year.
Whitney Ballen Tour Dates:
2/19 - Soda Bar - San Diego, CA *
2/20 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA *
2/21 - Rickshaw Shop - San Francisco, CA *
2/24 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR *
2/25 - Sunset Tavern - Seattle, WA *
3/12-3/16 - SXSW - Austin, TX
3/20 - Treefort Music Fest - Boise, ID
* = w/ Half Waif
The Issaquah-based singer/songwriter's debut full-length is an arresting chronicle of when love goes wrong and exploring all the broken pieces left in the harsh realm of a breakup.
The Issaquah singer/songwriter vacillates between squall and sparsity in her detailed and heartbreaking work. Ahead of her Upstream Music Fest performance on Sunday, June 3rd, we take a look at singular and emotive work.
