In Tora's "Vein," the beauty and dexterity of Black hair takes center stage in the Aliyah Otchere-directed clip, finding the London-based singer entangled in a maze of braids as a stand-in for self-destruction.
"Ultimately, I see hair as an extension of myself, certainly not the be and end all but a piece for sure," Tora told The FADER via email of the video's creative Jade Adeyemi-helmed hair design. "Taking that into consideration the abundance of hair is a way of showing domination or being consumed by a destructive side of myself."
In "Vein," Tora reflects on the road behind her while focusing on the path that lay ahead. Sharp, soulful and experimental, the song's piano-driven production builds slowly to its quicker, more frenetic pace. "Didn't spend my youth in the comfort of my own home / come up with excuse after excuse just to be alone," she sings on the track. "'Vein' is about me wanting to look back on this period of my life and see growth from overthinking and worrying about the little things," the singer explains about the track, which she says serves as her first single from her upcoming EP Cavalier, set to drop in May. "Just trusting myself to let it go and now since I’ve said it, put it into words, made it real, I can only follow through."
Watch the video above.