VIDEO PREMIERE: Eli Prier "Shooting Stars"

by Rosie Accola

Eli Prier’s debut single, “Shooting Stars” is a fantastic voyage into a dazzling, synth-y galaxy, perfect for fans of avant-garde pop acts like Aurora or Florence + the Machine. The track starts with a gentle swell of strings as Prier sings, “Swimming through andromeda / I kissed a turtle dove,” the juxtaposition of natural and intergalactic imagery recalling elements of the fantastic that were integral to ‘70s glam-rock. In the video, Prier’s face is bathed in electric blue light. The camera pans out revealing Prier, dressed in a  blush pink matching skirt and crop top set adorned in pearls, now forcing the viewer to visually reconcile the alien and ethereal. 

They sing of nebulas as a twinkle of keys weaves around their vocals, but then the beat starts to pick up pace -- building until finally, the chorus hits in a triumphant rush of synths and EDM-inspired beats. Throughout the chorus, Prier exclaims “We’re shooting stars, and you can’t catch those” which soon transforms into a rallying cry. Throughout the video, Prier explores a garden, sifting dirt through their hands, crushing flower petals. Shots cut to them dancing ecstatically -- twirling so that their skirt flares out as the beat of the song pulses around them. In the second verse, the beat finds a home for itself among the synths, settling like a heartbeat as Prier sings “resilient / I carry her name” recalling the idea of strength echoed in the chorus. Now, when the chorus hits, there’s a newfound sense of understanding, an acknowledgment of the elastic nature of strength that stretches across generations and relationships. 

During the bridge, Prier stretches their arms out, beckoning towards the camera enticing the audience to come along with them. But when the final chorus plays, they dance freely and wildly, twirling off into an unknown distance as the camera fades to black. We know what they said is true, we can’t catch them.

Eli Prier’s sound is the inexplicable yet perfect union of the electro-pop beats of a bonafide dance party with the lyricism and longing of Kate Bush. I can’t wait to watch their star rise.