Today, (Me Llamo) Sebastián dropped the video for “Los Edificios,” the latest in a series of heart-wrenching singles ahead of the release of his ominous new album La Sombra. ”Los Edificios” is a suffocating track, driven by heavy drums and a mocking guitar that add to the claustrophobic and voyeuristic themes in his lyrics. The video enhances this unease by giving shape to the metaphorical shadow haunting (Me Llamo) Sebastían, leading up to a final showdown with the singer’s own feelings of remorse and mortality.
Cast in black and tattered off-white garments, the video for ”Los Edificios” finds (Me Llamo) Sebastián literally dancing and wrestling with death, a reflection of the somber stories he’s shared over social media regarding health issues, lost love, and betrayals he’s suffered over the past year. More personal even, the song is a letter to a paramour who has discarded and deserted (Me Llamo) in his time of need. The video is a devastating longform rumination from the Chilean pop singer, in which he laments his lover’s inability to live openly and as emotionally free as him.
Singles like “Las Polillas” and “Hijos del Peligro” have already struck a somber tone for (Me Llamo) Sebastián, leaving his emblematic Niño Rosado persona nowhere to be found on what we’ve seen of La Sombra thus far. The video for “Los Edificios” opens with a dedication to “los que vivimos en el éxtasis a pesar de la condena,” commenting on the challenging political, social and religious realities of queers around the world. (Me Llamo) adds to this mounting tension by centering the video in a crowded residential building complex, painting a vivid portrait of Santiago’s rapidly urbanizing landscape and conveying the impending doom of relationships scrutinized by society’s prying eyes. As a result, “Los Edificios” avoids meta celebrity self-examination, choosing instead to poignantly indict the pressures of discreet queer romance.