Mia Joy, the project of Chicago artist Mia Rocha, has released a new single in “Freak,” along with an accompanying music video. The song follows ”See Us” ahead of her forthcoming debut album Spirit Tamer, out May 7 via Fire Talk Records.
“Freak” is the latest of Mia Joy’s ethereal explorations of love and relationships. The new track is subdued and minimal, with a gentle acoustic guitar accented by feather-light instrumentations. The animated video, directed by Cory Feder, is a scribbled orange-scale interpretation of Rocha’s resilient lyrics like “I’m not a freak on a leash / ‘Cause you burned me to set me free / It’s not by ill will, but I’m setting my own path.”
Rocha explained her inspiration to quote the iconic Korn song in a statement:
I loved the imagery of that phrase, a freak on a leash as in feeling tied in a relationship you know is toxic but feeling bound to them, thus making you crazy or a “freak.” Once off the leash, the pain that was holding onto you, you can finally find your own way. I wanted to end it with a sense of reclaiming identity and independence and breaking free from the symbolic leash.
Watch the music video for “Freak” below.