Victoria Reed recorded her new album Aquamadre,  at home in Mexico City with producer Autre Ne Veut, the full-length arrives on April 24th via Fisica Moderna Records/AWAL. The full-length is described as a collection of “lush and dreamy songs,” an ethereal ode to self-love and personal growth from a songwriter willing to bare her most vulnerable self in all its tender, honest beauty. The music is equal parts pop and experimental here, built off swirling synthesizers, slinky guitars, and hypnotic beats, and Reed’s performances are breathy and captivating to match. At times angelic, at times haunting, she sounds otherworldly, but her writing is very much grounded in the emotional reality of modern womanhood and the seemingly impossible contradictions it demands. Reed is the first to admit that in the past, she nearly collapsed under the weight of the existential quandaries she finds herself grappling with on the album, but if nothing else, ‘Aquamadre’ is proof that true strength comes not from having all the answers, but from knowing when to ask for help. Ahead of the arrival of Aquamadre, Victoria Red has shared a wonder new video, shot around Mexico City for album track “Same Way.”

Victoria Reed on “Same Way:”

I was initially inspired by two different fountains in my neighborhood here in Mexico City. One is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, and the other– one of my favorites in the whole city– is this magical woman in braids pouring out two jugs of water beneath her arms. The song itself, is about the type of transformation that can occur as a result of seeing yourself through the eyes of another person, so I loved the idea of creating an unusual kind of love story in which the protagonists transformed into the two fountains.

The video is meant to take you on a journey, where I, through this unique relationship, am transformed from the love-drunk and adoration obsessed sign of Leo, to the quirky, freedom loving, bringer of the new age, sign of Aquarius. Meanwhile, the journey is being reciprocated but in the opposite direction, as I give the gift of my Leonine fire to the object of my affection, hoisting him up on a pedestal to near god-like status. To me, the statue of David served as a perfect symbol for some of the classic traits associated with the sign of Leo– brave, romantic, gorgeous, proud– and the other fountain was the perfect symbolism for the sign of Aquarius– which literally gets it’s name from the latin word for “water-carrier”. Leo Calzoni, the DP I worked with on the project, then pointed out that the “Star” card in traditional tarot overlaps with that imagery in a really beautiful way as well, so we decided to combine the three.

Daniela Tena, who directed the video, came up with a story of love, friendship and ritual between three friends. The feminist in me loved the idea of turning the typical threesome on it’s head, and having two male co-stars rather than two women competing for the love of a man. She then came up with the concept of turning my living room into a magical garden, to reflect the sort of surreal, beautiful haze, that being in love, being seen, and being inspired can throw you into (fun fact: the grass was real and came in from the beautiful town of Cuernavaca, about 45 minutes outside of the city). The song and video are both meant to celebrate the positive powers of that beautiful haze, while also honoring the playful, silly, and often problematic nature of it all.