Zola Jesus - Vessel

Today, October 4, Zola Jesus’ highly anticipated third album Conatus arrives. Honoring this release, the electro-goth siren unveils the official video to the LP’s lead single “Vessel” through The New York Times. Regarding the song itself, the Russian-American songstress describes it as an ambiguous but necessary outing whereas the accompanying video stems from surreal fantasies.

Can you give us some background on the song “Vessel”?

This song was written very quickly, almost compulsively. I had a very strong feeling inside about this song, it felt very sharp and clear but at the same time there was a stutter trying to rise from the mud. This song in particular was like the final sum of the disorder I had to fight through in order to make this record. It was a great exhale but also kind of the peak of my sickness.

What’s with the metaphor of the moth life cycle in this video?

Because “Vessel” was born from many surreal dreams I was having while writing the record, the white-banded sphinx moth was used to symbolize the otherworldliness of dreams, secret knowledge and an underlying metamorphosis that this particular moth goes through in underground desert chambers.

In order to read the accompanying interview in its entirety, go here.