Shapeshifting Philadelphia-via-Vegas artist Shamir releases “Obsession,” the final video (animations by August Polite) ahead of Homo Anxietatem, their 9th album & debut for Kill Rock Stars out August 18. Following “The Beginning,” which was written when Shamir was 14 years old, “Obsession” was also pulled from the archives. Plucked from a vulnerable moment in their career in 2016, which was clouded by impostor syndrome and doubt, Shamir brings the song a new life and perspective. Shamir shares, “I love how this song is rooted in uncertainty and not self pity. The truth is that I didn’t know myself back then, and I certainly was not ready for that level of exposure, but I knew I could be.”

Shamir’s art is a synthesis of the full spectrum of human emotion; sensual, furious, yearning, joyful and yet tethered together by a very distinct style (similarly to the greats such as Miss Nina Simone, Prince and Taylor Swift). He’s always had a way of turning the mundane into the magical. On this new album, lines that could feel tossed off in the hands of a more careless songwriter become precious morsels in the hands of Shamir – he never takes himself too seriously. Yet nothing is taken for granted; there are moments of pure joy and plenty of surprises throughout.