VIDEO PREMIERE | Forest Bees, "Alone Together"

Forest Bees’ Sheetal Singh; press photo courtesy of the artist.

Introducing Forest Bees, the feminist project of San Francisco artist Sheetal Singh, presenting a first look at the video for “Alone/Together” from the forthcoming self-titled album debut. Previously of The Stratford 4, Sheetal’s focus zooms in on the human connection we share and the technocratic systems, devices and applications that work as the go-between agents that are imbricated in humanity’s dialogues and exchanges. Taking cue from the current world event of self-imposed isolation; “Alone/Together” amplifies the sentiment of loneliness within and without the worlds shared with others. Singh creates pop portraits inspired from the restless thoughts and desires that spring up from our lives lived indoors, pondering the internal and external realms with an atmospheric dance track perfect for intimate apartment dance parties in locked down metropolises.

“Alone/Together” accentuates the new states of normalcy that have become part of our existence here and now in the new normal. Sheetal orchestrates the moody keys and rhythms with an anxiousness air of discontent, with visuals set in a condo high rise that depict the paradoxes of the post-digital era. The artist's routines of dining and playing Scrabble alone are shown as shared virtual sessions that even include a rooftop game of tennis. As the track progresses, video collages of crowds, concerts and protests cue a variety of abstract visual distortion as the mood intensifies to heightened levels of spiraling isolation. The drum and bass sequences run awry into an ambient ether that is coupled with apocalyptic visions that all but abandons hope with Sheetal's refrain of, now I know that nobody can save me. Yet it is the song's closing acceptance of we are alone that brings about the closest semblance to peace that any of us feel in this time of deafening silences. As we take the slow steps forward to return to a quasi-re-opened new world—in a safe and sane manner—we can find a universal solidarity that we are truly collectively alone in this together as we gradually rebuild and reacquaint ourselves with what the semantics of togetherness mean.

Sheetal Singh of Forest Bees shared some thoughts on the inspirations that informed “Alone/Together”:

I wrote “Alone/Together” after visiting a friend who had moved out of state. After college, we ran around San Francisco together, partying... She was model beautiful and always had tons of guys chasing her. I was maybe a little in her shadow, but we always had fun together. As we got older, I went one route (married, kids) and she didn't and we drifted apart. But, when we met up again I was struck that we both ended up in the same place, alone together so to speak, despite our different life choices. 

Introspection and reflection with Sheetal Singh of Forest Bees; press photo courtesy of the artist.

 This song took on new meaning for me during quarantine, especially when I saw the hashtag for coronavirus.gov is #alonetogether. The video addresses this in a playful way. All of us locked down in isolation, but, like the song, it holds multiple truths. For some, quarantine allows for a little bit of quiet, an excuse to escape into an interior world which is normally a contested territory constantly under the threat of occupation (or actually occupied) by the forces of capitalism. If you don’t fill the void left by those obligatory, but ultimately not terribly meaningful, social interactions with digital, not terribly meaningful interactions (i.e. social media), you may be allowed to reclaim that space. On the other hand, we are social animals and our bodies and hearts crave interactions with other bodies and hearts and all the messiness that those interactions entail. The tension leads to frustration. As we smash our way out of lock-down and we're met by angry mobs outside, it begs the question — are other people really all they are cracked up to be?

The debut Forest Bees self-titled will be available June 12. Listen via Spotify.