On 2011’s The Midnight Mass, Vancouver singer-songwriter Louise Burns wove strands of indie rock, country, and goth-pop into a dark tangle of melancholy that one critic described as music for “young mopes.” “It wasn’t written for him, but I thought ‘young mopes’ was perfect,” Burns says. “That’s me and my friends, old souls with teenage hearts.”

Young Mopes is the title of her new album, which arrives in February. But if anything, Young Mopes is less mopey and more lively than ever. Featuring a new backing band including Ladyhawk’s Darcy Hancock and Ryan Peters and produced by Burns herself, the album’s 10 songs thread the needle between darkness and light, evoking the hazy twilight world between waking and dreaming. That atmosphere is heavily apparent on lead single “Storms” and its accompanying music video. Directed by Exquisite Corps, the filmmaking team of Justin Gradin and Ben Jacques, the clip is a dream-world odyssey that shows Burns traversing a dollhouse full of floating sharks and man-eating armchairs.

If all that doesn’t pique your interest, Burns also sings on one track on the upcoming Japandroids album, so she’s officially Brian King- and Dave Prowse-approved. Watch the “Storms” video below.

Young Mopes album art:

Tracklist:

01 “Who’s The Madman”
02 “Pharaoh”
03 “Storms”
04 “Moonlight Shadow”
05 “Hysteria”
06 “Dig”
07 “Strange Weather”
08 “Young Mopes”
09 “Downtown Lights” (Blue Nile Cover)

Young Mopes is out 2/3 on Light Organ Records.