Video Premiere: Liza Anne

True story: We listen to every single song that lands in the POPULAR inbox. Whether it’s from a PR company, an artist, or, just a friend tipping us off to the next big thing, we’re all ears – literally. So when our pal Ryan Winnen of the Nashville indie band COIN shot us the new single from his friend and fellow musician Liza Anne, we stopped everything and gave it a spin. It’s a good thing we did, because the folksy rocker not only has a covetable CV (she’s opened for Leighton Meester and performed with Damien Rice), but she’s also fine-tuning a sound that’s all her own.

Her latest single, “Take It Back,” offers the perfect introduction to the Georgia native’s vibe. (Think Feist’s stripped-down spunk peppered with Daughter’s angelic soundscape, and you’re halfway there.) Featuring crystal-clear vocals wrapped up in a guitar-driven melody, the song’s upbeat vibe is enough to convince anyone at first that it’s a classic crush tune. But listen again, because the singer-songwriter’s heart-wrenching lyrics offer another story.

As Liza Anne told us, “As for the song, it’s that moment where everything seems to have fallen apart and you just want the person to say they never meant it in the first place. Then you can keep on, just as before — nothing was ever said, or felt, or meant (or, at least you can act like it). I guess it’s dramatic, but that’s how I felt at the time.” Set in a dark-lit high school auditorium, the video is a hauntingly beautiful twist on those regrets we all feel in relationships.

Watch the exclusive premiere of Liza Anne’s “Take It Back” video here, then go get her sophomore album Two when it drops May 19.