“Our Song” could very easily be a double entendre for Shamir if he wanted it to be, because in the end, it’s his, even if very alone. Leading up to the release of his new album, Homo Anxietem, independent music’s ultimate outsider in bridging pop conventions with outside-the-box approaches to songwriting under his own rules has juxtaposed familiarity against his own uncanny writ in style. That being said, singularity is the story of “Our Song” – literally in more than one way – in the throes of its relationship end days while framing the many eras of his work and that of indie’s history from the ‘80s underground, Aughts mainstream breakout, and today’s genre lawlessness to create fully alived guitar pop made perfectly unusual, as fluorescent guitars impress themselves onto its underlying morbidity. “I remember when you visit me just to see me one last time / ‘Cause I lived above the record store / And when they play our song, I want to die,” he sings in its final moments. There’s something that hits different about a song when you can place your finger on it with personal effect. In this instance, Shamir has used that personal effect to make a song that will always stands out against the rest.

Directed by: Shamir Bailey

Shamir’s Homo Anxietatem will be released August 18th on Kill Rock Stars.