Fresh from the release of her brilliant fourth album HiRUDiN in May, Austra (aka Katie Austra Stelmanis), today shares the video for “I Am Not Waiting” directed by Trevor Blumas and starring Sheida Arbabian. On “I Am Not Waiting”, over ESG-style basslines, Stelmanis’ voice cuts through like a beacon singing the refrain ‘I’m over you’ repeatedly.
“Trevor and I have been collaborating for a while now on a few different projects so he’s got a really good understanding of the themes across HiRUDiN and ‘I Am Not Waiting’ in particular,” says Stelmanis. “Given the limitations we were faced with because of Corona, I let him have free reign to do what he wanted here. I’m thrilled with the result, it’s so nice collaborating with someone you can fully trust to represent your work.”
“The video for ‘I Am Not Waiting’ takes a cue from Katie’s lyrics about escaping from a toxic situation and reaching a point where enough is enough,” says Blumas. “The video specifically is about breaking free from the layers of superficiality that is often applied to or imprinted upon us in today’s hyper-image culture, in the age of face apps and AR. These devices often skew us from seeing each other for who we actually are. I find there is an exceptional amount of bravery and boldness in stepping outside of certain social expectations of how we present ourselves by being seen as vulnerable and exposed.”
While Austra’s third album, 2017’s Future Politics, was concerned with the external power structures that shape society, HiRUDiN points inward, tracing a deeply personal journey towards regeneration, dealing with the fallout of toxic relationships, queer shame, and insecurity along the way. Named after the peptide released by leeches that is the most potent anticoagulant in the world, HiRUDiN is about the importance of healing the self, letting go of harmful influences, and finding the power to rebuild.
