Skeleton Hands Share an Homage to Love, Lust, and Nightlife in a New Video for “City Lights”

As far as debut records are concerned, few have stuck with us more than Gone, the dance-infused darkwave workout by Skeleton Hands, originally released in 2013. While the Cincinnati-based duo have since released an equally excellent follow-up (2017’s Wake) and have been working hard on a new record, the band has also announced a vinyl reissue of Gone, due out via Young & Cold Records on October 15th. To celebrate the occasion, we’re honored to premiere a video for the cinematic closing track “City Lights.” Watch below:

For those who are unfamiliar with the track, “City Lights” starts with a deliciously arpeggiated synth line, giving way into warm  strings, catchy guitar hooks, and high register bass guitar. The track’s combination of infectious dance rhythms and ethereal beauty recall the best moments of Power, Corruption and Lies and its sister record From the Hip, with flourishes of Chicago house and the occasional splash of 90s electronica. The video, directed by Danish filmmaker and photographer Nicolai af Rosenborg, is a celebration of pre-COVID night life and youthful abandon, as seen through the eyes of two would-be-lovers.

Evan Scott Sharfe offers some extra context on the video:
[Rosenborg] asked our permission to make a music video for “City Lights” because he said “I believe your song has such an amazing cinematic potential.” He pitched his idea of unrequited love and a night of debauchery; a bittersweet celebration of youth. It didn’t matter that the song was old, we thought it would be a worthwhile collaboration. With the reissue of the album through Young & Cold, we thought it would be a great opportunity to share the video with everyone else.

Pre-orders for the Young & Cold reissue of Gone are live today in tandem with Bandcamp’s latest no-fee Friday. Check below for the album cover, track listing, and pre-order links:

Skeleton Hands- Gone
1. Gone
2. Oxygen
3. Dotted Lines
4. Reeducation
5. Ravage
6. Robot Hands
7. Ghost
8. I Was Lying When I Said It Was Okay
9. City Lights

Pre-order via Bandcamp

Photo by Meg Sharfe