Video premiere: Torii Wolf, ‘Hideaway’

Kevin Bronson on September 9th, 2020

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As the pandemic has shown, solitude can be a double-edged sword. It can be a minefield of phobias, doubts and toxic habits, all waiting to go off. Or it can be the source of self-discovery, a place of revelatory, even exhilarating, inspiration.

Torii Wolf’s poignant new video for the song “Hideaway” speaks to both — the black-and-white drudgery of daily routine versus the vibrant color of connecting with something larger than oneself. The video, another of Wolf’s collaborations with director Kayko Tamaki, follows the artist through a daily routine, ending on a liberating note.

“I wrote ‘Hideaway’ during this quarantine,” the L.A.-based New Yorker says. “Heavily inspired by feelings I have had during most of my life here as an introverted artist. Finding my meditation practice. Learning how to drop into another plane of expansion and creativity. I wanted this visual to emulate the feeling of stagnation and dismal routine back and around again. Life in black and white. Leading into life in color, dropping in. Taking the elevator 10 flights down and counting. Finding your freedom. Finding your highest self. Going within.”

The song is another chapter in the avant-pop artist’s startlingly productive 2019 and ’20, which has included a slew of collaborative singles and two EPs, the most recent being “Gloam.” Over a 15-year-career, Wolf has worked in a variety of styles, having released music with the likes of DJ Premier, producer Mike Zombie and Macklemore. Wolf’s album “Flow Riiot” came out in 2017.

Wolf’s most recent singles have been acoustic guitar-based, shaded by the beautiful cello of composer Rumori (Jason Adams). If, as Wolf says, “I want to use my music to build a safe space for people to feel,” these recent singles offer emotional harbor.

“Hideaway” is officially out on Friday.

||| Watch: The video for “Hideaway”