Trevor Powers crafted chilling neo-psychedelia under the Youth Lagoon moniker from 2010 until 2016. Now, two years removed from the conclusion of that project, Powers is reinventing himself. Today he debuts his fresh musical start under his birth name with a new song and video, as well as the launch of his label Baby Halo.

An irregular music box introduces “Playwright,” twinkling and winding in fragments as Powers’ vocals build to a delicate gurgle. He sings of a bright future, blooming out of a dark past. Powers shares this new material with a note explaining his retirement from Youth Lagoon. He writes about feeling trapped, referring to the former project as a “mental dungeon.”

“My intention was never to keep it going — only to serve as a nod to the blooming years…but now I feel freed,” he continues. “Every person alive is full of opposing forces. Paradoxes. Millions of thoughts swimming around while we fish for one to act on. We walk a fine line between calm & chaos, & often forget there’s only so much in our control…it’s in this space that I have been spending time writing.”

The striking Dan Opsal-directed music video seems to illustrate the message detailed in Powers’ handwritten letter. A blindfolded swimmer is submerged in an endless ocean, catching glimpses of a world outside but unable to escape.

Read the full letter and watch the video for “Playwright” below.

CREDIT: Chris Schoonover

At this time there are no further details regarding his label or a forthcoming album.