Premiere! Blvck Hippie’s “If You Feel Alone at Parties” is an Essential Anthem for Lost Souls

“I don’t wanna hear it
Say you’re OK
Even if it means you’re lying”

Blvck Hippie’s music is haunted by a constant sense of impossible longing. For a wasted youth, for the one night when things weren’t fucked up, for a time that never really existed. The band’s latest “If You Feel Alone at Parties” wraps that longing up in a nostalgic haze with singer Josh Shaw’s grasping hooks. The single perfectly captures the anxiety of being surrounded by people and still feeling lonely, but with an empathetic warmth that invites connection.

Social anxiety is a frequent subject of post-punk songwriting, but Shaw’s gift is his way of making it feel like an invitation rather than a barrier. The contradictions in his lyrics match the washed out colors of the video, both acknowledging the distance and wishing it weren’t there. As the song hits its sing-along coda and the reverbed-out guitars pick up speed, we’re reminded that we all kinda feel this way, so billions of lonely people aren’t actually alone. It’s an impressive feat pulled off by the band and director Lawrence Shaw. Oh, and the song fucking slays too.

Josh Shaw describes the new video, saying “It’s a glorious bite of nostalgia wrapped in the anxiety of existing. Directed by Lawrence Shaw, the visual is saturated by colorful lights and blurry glowing frames reminiscent of those pictures that ended up on your camera roll sometime after the pregame and before waking up. Blvck Hippie is here to let you know that you’re not the only one searching for a familiar face to keep you from your loneliness.”

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