[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy9W_mrY_Vk?rel=0&w=615&h=346]

If you’ve ever been to a jazz funeral in New Orleans like I have(‘nt either), you are familiar with the practice of raucous dance processions as a ritual for mourning and celebrative commemoration. Channeling this alien-yet-strangely-beguiling custom, Solange has penned the most danceable, feel-good breakup song of the year.

Using external stimuli to drown out personal turmoil is a natural reaction for anyone after any sort of trauma, and even in the most indulgent sense (read: vacationing to South Africa, engaging in designer retail therapy, hanging with foppish men at pool parties), that is what Solange might have been attempting to convey with the video for “Losing You.” But there is a defined coolness in her demeanor as well ebullience in the production that emanates new-found confidence rather than feigned optimism or self-imposed distraction. Though Solange’s intentions may have been escapist at first, she seems to have transitioned from mourning a relationship to the process of moving on. Throughout the track she repeats what would ordinarily be a plaintive refrain –“Am I losing you for good?” –but she already knows the answer and is reveling in her realization.

P.S. Fellow music nerd Becca produced the new Walk the Moon music video, which you should absolutely check out here.