Kevin Bronson on August 25th, 2022

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Sam Valdez’s immersive dream-pop comes swathed in mystery and wonder, a bit foreboding on the low end, angelic when she sings.

So it is with the Nevada native’s new single “Unwind,” her first release since last year’s debut album, “Take Care.” It’s the initial taste of a forthcoming EP, “Crush,” made with producer Gianluca Buccellati (Arlo Parks, the Marías, among others).

“‘Unwind’ is a song about intimacy,” Valdez says. “I pictured it like a stretched-out day where you stress and run through all of these inner conversations and obstacles to be closer to someone, only to change your mind and prefer to be alone.”

In director Will Brunker’s surreal video, Elii Ormond stars as exactly that person, alone and deep in contemplation — and completely oblivious to the presence of the singer.

||| Watch: The video for “unwind”

||| Previously: “Take Care” (album), “Palms Casino,” “Toothache,” “Turn,” “Farther Away,” “Hours,” “Don’t Want to Be Yours Anymore”