Laveda - "Better Now"

Upstate New York’s Laveda released one of our favorite albums of 2020 with their stunning debut, What Happens After. One of the record’s most memorable songs, “Better Now,” soundtracks their first-ever video, which takes place out in the backwoods of the Catskill mountains. 

The song is dark and melancholic, swirling with gigantic guitars, electronic percussion, and lyrics that describe experiencing love during a time where the future of the world is uncertain. In a Facebook post from last year, the band described the track’s poetic lyrics as capturing the thought process of two characters living in a post-apocalyptic world, with one “desir[ing] an escape from their reality; mirroring the common ideology that all problems will vanish if they’re simply wished away,” while the other “reflects on their life in a past land comparing it to where they are now.” The video nicely reflects the song’s lyrics, as it follows band members Ali Genevich and Jake Brooks as they seek refuge in the natural world. It interposes gorgeous scenes of the duo submerged in deep water, running through open fields, and finding their way through dense forests. 

Stream the video below. To learn more about Laveda, check out our interview with Jake and Ali in Episode 131 of the Look At My Records! podcast. You can also read Zach Romano’s great review of What Happens After right here on the site. 

Keep up with Laveda by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.