Natasha Kahn (Bat for Lashes) makes a welcome return, directing and starring in a strange and tender vignette set in the eerie light of the Los Angeles hills. The multi-instrumentalist continues her love affair with the American city in this cosmic love story about a girl and boy from different universes.We were first introduced to Kahn in Dougal Wilson’s now legendary video for What’s a Girl to Do: a lonely woman cycling down a desolate highway, deep in the Witching Hour. Over the next 15 years, the singer has developed a distinct visual oeuvre, comparable even to the great Kate Bush, her stage name becoming shorthand for a specific kind of mesmerising high concept video, in which the singer adopted different guises and identities. Like Bush, Kahn has graduated to directing her own videos - including a fascinating video cycle for her concept album The Bride (2016).Kids in the Dark is the first cut from her new album, a larger concept built around a new character called Nikki Pink - played by Natasha Khan. The character went missing, and has now re-emerged in the nocturnal, feminine world of the “Lost Girls” - a marauding gang of bikers. The video has been trailed by various clues about Nikki’s whereabouts, including cryptic images and Kahn’s very own phone line (#batphoners).The ghostly photography by Gilles O'Kane immediately conjures up images from cult classics Mulholland Drive and Betty Blue. It was edited by long-time collaborator Noel Paul.
Ned Botwood - 10th July 2019