Shannon Lay - Rare to Wake

What this video is

Released May 11, 2021, during the tail end of pandemic-era cultural introspection, 'Rare to Wake' arrived as Shannon Lay's first new material since her acclaimed 2019 Sub Pop debut August. The song was inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune, channeling its existential and meditative themes into a contemporary folk framework. The video's west coast hillscape setting reflects a broader 2020-2021 cultural turn toward…

Why it matters

A landmark example of 2020s contemporary folk production under a storied indie label, 'Rare to Wake' bridges the lyrical introspection of the singer-songwriter tradition with a naturalist visual language that rejects spectacle in favor of stillness. Its Sub Pop release and critical reception…

The director

Kai MacKnight is a Los Angeles-based director and cinematographer. He has directed multiple music videos for Shannon Lay, including 'Rare to Wake' (2021) and 'Awaken and Allow / Geist' (2021). Shannon Lay has described him as 'an amazing director and…