Australian musician and artist Ben Montero sounds the way his cartoons feel: vibrant with a melancholic tinge, the hopeful sadness that comes along with being in the world. Today, ahead of his upcoming album Performer, Montero translates his anthropomorphic drawings to claymation in a stop-motion video for “Running Race.”

Known to make the mundane sparkle, Montero’s voice swirls, “Deep inside of me, no one’s home,” as a pleased little frog drives through the forrest and off into outer space. “Don’t let those lessons go to waste, because life is a running race,” he sings as the frog learns to make peace with his inner demons (as played by a group of spooky trees and a hand with a busted face) and meets his friends at the finish line. The psych-pop soundscape on “Running Race” lends itself to its likeminded creators; along with the rest of his upcoming album, Performer, it’s co-produced by Montero, Tame Impala’s Jay Watson, and Riccardo Damian. Listen to “Running Race” and watch the very adorable video below.

Tracklist:

01 “Montero Airlines”
02 “Aloha”
03 “Caught Up In My Own World”
04 “Running Race”
05 “Performer”
06 “Quantify”
07 “Vibrations”
08 “Tokin’ The Night Away”
09 “Destiny”
10 “Pilot”

Performer is out 2/2 on Chapter Music. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Maria Damkalidi