Maggie Rogers Faces the Light and Dark in New “Horses” Video

To follow up the recent release of her new single “Horses,” Maggie Rogers released an accompanying music video.

The video features the “On + Off” singer in a field during the deep blue night, the light dustiness of dawn, and the sun shining day. The camera moves quickly from fish-eyed views to still close-up shots and above wide-angles of Roger playing her guitar and singing. For the video, she co-directed it with Michael Scanlon while Kelly Jeffries, another frequent collaborator of Rogers, manned the cinematography front.

Regarding the collaboration, Rogers ethereally recalled, “We laughed a lot. Drank wine. Talked about UFOs and marveled as the crescent moon set along the fields. We had a loose plan, but mostly trusted our instincts and our collective taste. And we had a blast. The way making art should be (in my philosophy). Not about the result, but about the process.”

Recording at Peter Gabriel’s UK studio, “Horses” is the third single from her upcoming album Surrender, which releases July 29. The much-anticipated album is the followup to her 2019 debut, Heard It In A Past Life, which launched to No.1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales. The album became a smash hit with over one billion streams. “Horses” continued to keep the traction provided by her previous album but also boasted a magical songwriting story for Rogers.

“There’s been only a few, rare times in my life when two songs have appeared in the same day. And only one time when three songs came at once,” Rogers says. “This was the case with ‘Horses.’ I was at Real World Studios with my dearest collaborator, Kid Harpoon. On day one, I sat down at the piano and he sat down at the drums and ‘Overdrive’ came pouring out.  I knew immediately it would be the opening track of the record. We started day two with ‘That’s Where I Am,’ caught ‘I’ve Got A Friend’ after lunch and came back for ‘Horses’ after dinner and a glass or two of wine. Tom started playing guitar and immediately I started writing. I looked up to ask him what he thought and he simply said, ‘keep going.’ I wondered if maybe it was time to call it a night and he simply said, ‘keep going.’”

The “keep going” attitude that night turned into a one-take wonder for Rogers. And, that single take reflects the gumption and wild, airy spirit of “Horses.”

“It’s a song about letting go. About wanting to feel free in a time where I felt an overwhelming amount of numbness,” says Rogers. “Sometimes I’m singing to a loved one, sometimes a friend. Sometimes I think I’m singing to myself. And I love that I can’t always tell the difference.”

You can watch Maggie Rogers kick off her new album Surrender on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 26. View the music video for “Horses” below.