The new track, accompanied by a self-directed music video, is an ode to suburban wastelands, a melancholy yet shimmering musical venture capturing Yen’s feelings of smalltown life. It shows a new side to Yen after her debut single ‘Donnie Darko’ and subsequent emo anthem ‘Go Away’.
Lyrically, ‘Clueless In Suburbia’ is poignant (“Clueless in suburbia, hopeless dreams are never ending, clueless in suburbia, pointless days of just pretending”) with autotune artistically added, meanwhile sonically, the track glistens and flows with trap-inspired drum loops and synths.
“‘Clueless in Suburbia' started with some simple melancholy chords on my keyboard in my old one bedroom flat. It was back in 2020, I didn’t have much going on, I was bored and frustrated with my mediocre - abysmal life,” Yen says.
“Looking back on my youth I realised I felt the same as I did when I was young, stuck in the middle of nowhere in a small town without anything to look forward to and no hope of getting out. But I kinda like these empty places where people only pass through. They’re ugly but they’re beautiful and the weeds in the concrete watched me grow up whether I like it or not.”
The music video for ‘Clueless In Suburbia’ sees Yen trailing haunts around Sydney. It was created in collaboration with Sydney-based creative Maybelle Thieu.
“The bat wings were something I wanted to be throughout but in a subtle way, not too over the top. I feel like I always wanted to just pick up leave in the middle of the night when I was young so the wings are kinda trying to convey that. And the bits with me on the hill contrasting to the city are just an example of how isolated I’ve felt for most of my life from the bustle,” Yen explains. “Balancing the claustrophobia of those room scenes with the outdoor scenes was fun. My outfit in those studio shots is my favourite bit of the video. My mum bought it from a market stall in Moruya when I was like eight. She gave it to me a couple years after and when I finally grew into it I knew I’d wear it in a video one day, and here we are!”
‘Clueless In Suburbia’ is out now.
