Photo by Ryan Lee Clemens

Last we heard of Chappell Roan after her super big breakthrough year, she was goin’ country. She gave it her best yee-haw, but the cowboy cosplay fatigue had already begun to settle in by the time she got to the rodeo. That said, why doesn’t the same rule apply to her take on the over-saturated dream-pop market on “The Subway”? Perhaps it’s because there’s something about the sound of blushed guitars and a feeling of melancholia moving in slow motion that has a way of transcending timelines. With the right pen behind it, it’s a fitting style to try on to make a sapphic breakup song like the one Roan sings sparkle. Her signature etchings are all over this train like Sharpie’d graffiti all over the back of seats. Descript physical reminders of green hair and the precise placement of beauty marks to overt sex life overshares on foreplay all come vividly rushing back as her surroundings blur. The listen’s familiar touch and feel (and smell of perfume…) definitely linger, as do reminders of the one who got away.

Directed by: Amber Grace Johnson

Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” single is available now on Island Records.