New Romantic Icon Riki Moonlights in Her LA Noir Inspired Video for “Florence and Selena”

Full moon light
City night
burns away outside
City Lights
Dancing girls
dance away the night

It’s become quite clear Riki is on the pursuit to steal our hearts one by one. The new music video for “Florence and Selena”—the second taste of her new LP, Gold, out on November 26th—is reminiscent of the opening credits to a steamy early 1990s erotic thriller. With the sultry sax played by Charles Gorzcinsky overtop the synthesized allure of the production by Telefon Tel Aviv’s Joshua Eustis at the beginning, a moody tone is set: “This crescendos to a peak before a momentary breath in,” says Riki. “To breathe in is to inspire—to animate the spirit. In this case it is to tell the story of old friends whose path forward is yet unknown.”

Shot around Los Angeles, the video captures a mood that is both mysterious and sensual as Riki drives with the top down, sways in the fog, and dances on a spotlit stage.  There is a sensuality found within “Florence and Selena,” one that echoes the silkiness of Bryan Ferry records—a sordid tale of star crossed lovers lost to the whims of the night—as the lyrics hint about the moon (with Selena being the moon goddess) and its cycles, the ebb and flow of the night over the harbor city of Clovelly in England. Bursting with the flushed charm found in Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush, “Florence and Selena” fulfills any nostalgic desire for night drives through neon-soaked streets.

Watch the video directed by Travis Waddell below:

Between “Marigold” and “Florence and Selena,” it’s apparent Riki has taken a turn away from the dance-oriented synthpop she perfected in her first self-titled LP, and towards lush, synthetic atmospheres with Gold.

Pre-order via Dais. Follow Riki on Instagram and Facebook.

RIKI TOUR DATES

Nov 28 Los Angeles, CA –  Substance Festival at The Belasco Theater
Jan 14 San Diego, CA – The Whistle Stop
Jan 15 Las Vegas, NV – Oddfellows
Jan 27 Brooklyn, NY – Synthicide at Saint Vitus
Mar 15 Denver, CO – Lost Lake +
Mar 17 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club +
Mar 18 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall +
Mar 19 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop +
Mar 21 Detroit, MI – Sanctuary +
Mar 22 Toronto, ON – The Garrison +
Mar 24 Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz +
Mar 25 Boston, MA – Sonia +
Mar 26 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg +
Mar 27 Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA +
Mar 28 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery +
Mar 29 Richmond, VA – The Camel +
Mar 20 Durham, NC – Motorco +
Apr 01 Atlanta, GA –  Purgatory at The Masquerade +
Apr 02 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa +
Apr 03 Houston, TX – Satellite Bar +
Apr 04 Austin, TX – The Parish +
Apr 05 Dallas, TX – Three Links Deep Ellum +
Apr 07 Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge +
Apr 08 San Diego, CA – The Casbah +
Apr 10 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop +
Apr 13 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore +
Apr 14 Seattle, WA – Crocodile +
Apr 15 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios +
Apr 16 Boise, ID – Neurolux +

 +notes dates with Choir Boy