For those of you in the know, the king of the Sadboys is about to drop his album Stranger on Friday, November 10th. Yung Lean has already released a slew of strong singles, including "Red Bottom Sky," "Hunting My Own Skin," "Skimask," and most recently, "Metallic Intuition. Based on Lean's latest musical directions, many fans are anticipating that Stranger might be his most ambitious and memorable projects to date. In an interview with Beats 1, Lean compared Stranger as a lighter contrast to his previous album Warlord, which he described as "very Gothic and dark." In the same interview, he proceeds to tell Zane about his intentions as an artist: "I really wanted to make albums that, you know, had a different aesthetic, and had a different sound." In other words, Lean is somewhat of a creative visionary.
The scope of his artistic vision can be seen in his latest release, a surreal short film titled Stranger. Directed by "Suzie and Leo," and boasting quite a production squad on deck, Stranger is described by the man himself as follows: ""A fugitive turns into a demon then a sad clown and finally becomes a man again." In true Lean fashion, nothing is ever what it seems, and he leaves plenty up for interpretation. It's a stunning watch, and even if you aren't checking for his music, Stranger is a clear cinematic accomplishment in many ways.
Check it out now, and while you're trying to figure out the true meaning of it all, perhaps a glimpse in Lean's creative process might help. "What we were doing in the beginning was way more influenced by fantasy and nature and you know, finding like little elfs in the forest, and being high on cocaine while being in a Death Star in Star Wars, and just creating our own worlds." For more on the enigma that is Yung Lean, check out a clip from his Beats1 interview below.