SWEDISH ALT-POP ARTIST RIVER RELEASES CINEMATIC SINGLE ‘CITY OF THIRST’
Swedish alt-pop innovator and visual artist RIVER releases her brand new single ‘City of thirst’, taken from her upcoming debut album, ‘A dying source’, on the Bushido label, a division of Pub Crawl Recordings, scheduled for release on November 13th, 2026.
‘City of thirst’ sees RIVER carve out a musical landscape of her own, blending alternative pop with cinematic textures and haunting melodies. Balancing vulnerability and power, the sonics mirror its lyrical themes through hypnotic atmospherics, immersing listeners in the intoxicating push and pull of temptation and desire. It’s a bold statement from an artist unafraid to transform deeply personal experiences into something relatable and real.
The accompanying music video visualises the track’s strong cinematic themes through a kitsch-inspired visual landscape, taking aesthetic inspiration from the 1994 film Natural Born Killers. Blending surreal, dreamlike imagery with striking, hyper-stylised scenes the video captures the song’s core exploration of surrendering to things we instinctively know will be negatively all-consuming.
On ‘City of thirst’, RIVER ultimately explores what it means to embark on a path of self-sabotage. She explains: “By defending what pulls us away from our deep intuition, we allow ourselves to lean toward someone or something we instinctively know we shouldn’t trust – yet somehow crave to surrender to,” she says. “It’s the addictive way it consumes our world, like a burning flame, erasing the dullness and troubles in life that no longer ignite us.”
RIVER continues to establish herself as one of alternative pop’s most compelling new voices. ‘City of thirst’ showcases the depth of her artistry, offering a striking glimpse into the world of her forthcoming debut album. As she continues to push creative boundaries through her music and visuals, she is rapidly cementing her status as an artist to watch.
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