God, I hope that we’re living in a simulation, Ben. On “Dollar Store”, the latest standout single from the indie rocker’s first new album in eight years, Cover the Mirrors, Kweller taps into those late night thoughts that creep into your head during the quiet of the night right when everything around us feels like it’s crashing down. For Kweller and his family, that probably happened more so recently — the album was born from pulling himself out of death’s grip following the untimely passing of his 16-year-old son, Dorian — and in watching the listen’s accompanying music video depicting two characters living together, but in their own worlds completely checked out from their surroundings, it’s easy to see how disconnected from reality the grief process can be. In the listen, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield casts her voice as the other one in the room, equally distant from reaching the other and yet, still shouting out with the same desperation. The language they sing is a universal pain. At our lowest points, we all retreat to a version of ourselves that never left all of that late night teenage angst behind. It feels even better when we let it explode from the bedroom floor.

Directed by: Owen Schwartzbard

Ben Kweller’s Cover the Mirrors will be released May 30th on The Noise Company.