Photo by Mochi Robinson.
“Arms of an Angel,” the latest release from SUO, explores the fleeting nature of emotion. On Instagram, she wrote, “[Love] always ends sad, even if it’s good until the end.”
The multihyphenate, also known as Saara Untracht-Oakner and formerly of BOYTOY, describes herself as a “compulsive creative.” Her artistic reach spans music, design, photography, and visual art, and this track is the latest addition to her expansive repertoire.
It came to Untracht-Oakner quickly in December 2022, as she developed chord progressions and melodies, allowing “sounds [to] just flow naturally” from her. The phrase “arms of an angel” emerged soon after. “Art is creation and creation is divine and I truly believe that having creative vision is a divine experience,” she said. “It might not necessarily be coming from me but I am a vessel for what the universe wants to be put out in the world.”
The music video, co-directed by herself and Natassia Kuronen, flirts with androgyny. It juxtaposes luridly silk-draped sensuality with stark black-and-white imagery of her in stiff leather, cowboy boots, and flexed muscles. Kuronen brought references to “Scorpio Rising” and James Dean, while Untracht-Oakner cited photographer Karlheinz Weinberger and Tom of Finland as inspirations. “We wanted to blend the black and white 1950s-early 1960s motorcycle, early rebel dreaminess with a sultry colorful 70s porn set,” she explained. Ultimately, they conceptualized a “meta experience,” where a black-and-white fantasy exists within a vibrant reality. “It was a great experience and I think we ended up with something really stunning.”
As an “extremely visual person,” this matters. Untracht-Oakner is committed to producing a music video for each single.
The slow ballad transcends the boundaries of love, even drawing comparisons to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” which Untracht-Oakner pointed out is “a banger and I can only hope that people stumble across my song while searching for hers.” She described the lyrics as feeling “sent” to her, as if from an elysian force. Listen, and you’ll understand why.
The post SUO Serves Romance and Heartbreak with “Arms of an Angel” first appeared on Alt Citizen.