Bartees Strange releases haunting new video for “Flagey God”

Bartees Strange is an unstoppable force. Named the XPN Artist To Watch for February, it’s been almost impossible to take your eyes off him since. Today he released a new video for the track “Flagey God” from his recent album Live Forever. 

The haunting video is the product of director Drew Horen, co-director Lauren H. Adams, and stylist Palistha Kakshpati. Footage of Strange in the woods is spliced with blurry clips of a woman dancing and him wandering down desolate streets. Shot entirely in black and white, there’s something eerie about how deserted everything appears. 

Inspired by his lifetime obsession with house DJs and singers like Steve Spacek, Burial, and Jai Paul, the track is electric. A prime example of the genre-bending tendencies throughout Live Forever, the track is impossible to pin down. An instant earworm, his smooth R&B vocals, and bouncy beat are infectious. 

The song was inspired by a trip to Flagey Square in Brussels. Embodying the high energy and constant hustle, Strange recalls being in a place for the first time where he realized he could be anyone he wanted. “No one knew me there. I was super lost in my life at the time and confused about what to do next, but in Flagey, I felt like I was capable of anything… A Flagey God.”

With quite the year lined up, Strange will be performing at Pitchfork Festival, Governors Ball, and Outside Lands. He will also be accompanying Lucy Dacus on a string of U.S. tour dates. You can watch the video for “Flagey God” below.