Emma Ruth Rundle has shared a new music video for “In My Afterlife,” the final haunting track from her fifth album Engine of Hell. She will also be going on a spring tour with two dates at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on Mar. 31 and Apr. 1. A member of three different niche rock outfits, Rundle’s solo career has been one defined by a continuous creation of ever more decisively poignant and immersive soundscapes.
On Engine of Hell, she trades her acoustic guitar for a piano on many of its winding songs. A rapt and surreal chronicling of traumatic moments throughout Rundle’s life, the album invokes an array of cavernously melodious tones that are as unnerving as they are heartwrenching. It’s definitely an album that deserves multiple listens but even a cursory exploration of its auditory halls will uncover that mesmeric quality in her music.
“In My Afterlife” ends the album, coalescing all its musings over death and feverishly dreamlike manifestations. But whatever is conjured up inside your mind’s eye while listening to the Rundle’s breathy words as they drift resonantly alongside strident piano keys is nothing compared to the music video created for the song. Directed by both Rundle and John Bradburn, the video sees the artist wandering down the abandoned hallway of some dilapidated building, her face painted white with a paper crown on their head. Ghostly pale, she mimes transfixing and terrifying within the small corridor.
“I developed the character, makeup, and costume myself, which I made by painting and modifying found articles while I was in the UK,” Rundle said of the video. “This mask or character is supposed to represent what is left after life ends, wandering the halls of their own existence, reliving little joys, and sufferings. They are a demented and unsettled character.”
Throughout Engine of Hell — as well as last year’s Orpheus Looking Back EP — Rundle continues to create music that is emotionally arresting in its breadth and raw expression. And when you add in a visual component, which is second nature to her as a visual artist in the first place, the effect is nearly overwhelming. If you found yourself similarly transfixed with “In My Afterlife,” then you should absolutely check out the other music videos created for songs like the engrossing “Return” and the soul-aching “Blooms of Oblivion.”
See Emma Ruth Rundle at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on Mar. 31 and Apr. 1. View the full list of tour dates below!
Visit Emma Ruth Rundle on their website, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Emma Ruth Rundle tour
Mar 24: Saint James Hall – Vancouver, BC
Mar 25: Neumos – Seattle, WA
Mar 26: Revolution Hall – Portland, OR
Mar 28: Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
Mar 29: Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
Mar 31: Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 01: Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 04: Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Apr 06: Axis Club – Toronto, ON
Apr 08: Crystal Ballroom – Boston, MA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 09: Le Poisson Rouge – New York City, NY
Apr 11: Crystal Ballroom – Boston, MA
Jun 21: Center United Church at Sled Island – Calgary, AB
Words: Steven Ward
Watch the music video for “In My Afterlife” from Emma Ruth Rundle below!
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