Lani Renaldo Cries Out For "Help!" on Vulnerable New Single
Los Angeles-based artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Lani Renaldo continues to artfully fuse a diverse mix of grunge rock, bedroom pop, and experimental sounds for a wildly eclectic and progressive swirl of cathartic ecstasy in their latest single “Help!.”
On “Help!,” the artist tells the dark narrative of losing yourself and watching the world crumble at your fingertips. They confide, “Selfishly, the song was written from a place of just feeling like I was spiraling. I didn’t feel like myself, I wasn’t on medication, I was going through really big changes in terms of my gender and identity, and now trying to figure out who I was outside of a relationship. It was really tough. I forced myself to sit down one day and write about how I was feeling.” Featuring a compelling melody over garage-rock riffs and a 90’s hip-hop-influenced beat, “Help!” is a brave and complex single about mental health struggles.
Lani’s music often explores themes of hardship, relationships, emotional growth, and finding and accepting your true identity. “I think the light at the end of the tunnel has been really finding myself through the music and being able to come to terms with my identity as a non-binary person, wanting to change my name and wanting to physically change things about myself. That was all a part of this journey,” they share.
The single’s accompanying music video is simplistic yet engaging. It opens with Renaldo staring at the ceiling and snacking on Lucky Charms. Then, we follow them as they go over the “game plan” in their neon-lit bathtub, which is to smile and watch the time pass. They continue to ponder the state of their mental health and overanalyze their life choices. “The video for 'help!' is really just a normal day in my life, overthinking things,” says Renaldo. “I shot it in my apartment with two of my friends, and we had a blast doing it, running around LA and taking over mall parking lots. It’s very DIY.”
This silent existential crisis is intercut with various scenes, including clips of them nonchalantly flipping through TV channels and playing guitar in empty, fluorescent-lit parking garages. The video ends with Renaldo still asking themselves the chorus’s question, “Why can’t anybody hear me screaming for help?”
Watch the "Help!" video below:
