Video: Alaska Reid, ‘Oblivion’

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Alaska Reid

Alaska Reid came to Los Angeles as a teenage folk singer and grew into her boots fronting the alt-rock trio Alyeska. But at heart she will always be the small-town kid from Livingston, Mont. (pop. 7,000), who cut her teeth playing songs at bars and rodeos.

Dating back to her early folk songs, circa 2012-13 (at least one EP, along with some other recordings, have vanished from the usual digital places), Reid has used her captivating vocals to give voice to anyone struggling to find a sense of place, or caught in a tug-of-war between their past lives and current station in a big city.

Reid returns to releasing music under her own name on Dec. 11, when her album “Big Bunny” comes out via Terrible Records. It encompasses the five singles she’s released since mid-2019, including this week’s “Oblivion.” Featuring production by A.G. Cook (Charli XCX, Jónsi) and Rodaidh McDonald (David Byrne, Adele, The xx), it’s emblematic of the album’s sonic approach — a stew of the organic and electronic, left to simmer and sometimes boil over (as in “Quake,” for example) — and her penchant for enchanting storytelling.

“Oblivion” revisits the theme of emotional geography. “I think feeling lost is a big part of it, but also feeling tough and sad at the same time,” Reid says. “Also, there are moments I try to capture the feeling of contentment and the bittersweet imperfection of it.”

Reid’s sister, actress/artist Lilliya Scarlett, directs the video for “Oblivion.”

||| Watch: The videos for “Oblivion” and “Boys From Town”

||| Also: Stream “Amber”