Australian artist ALEIA returns with ‘Willpower’, a slow-burning alternative/indie single centred on betrayal, distrust and the desire to get even.
Produced by Dylan Ollivierre, whose credits include a huge range of Western Australian artists, ‘Willpower’ takes its time getting there, but pairs sparse overdriven guitar with synths, piano and a marching snare cadence.
The writing is ultimately unsentimental. Instead of framing betrayal as something to heal neatly from, ALEIA digs into resentment, fixation and the fantasies of revenge that can surface when trust collapses.
“’Willpower’ is a song that explores the chaotic emotional turbulence you experience after someone has betrayed your trust and the extreme lengths someone will go to get even,” she explains.
That idea carries into the accompanying video, directed and produced by Stephanie Senior at Clearwater Films. Inspired by the folklore of the Woman In White, it follows ALEIA’s character after she is abandoned roadside, gradually transforming into the ghostly figure as dusk gives way to darkness. References to Australia’s Pilliga Highway Princess bring a local mythology into the story, reinforcing the sense of someone becoming permanently tethered to a moment they cannot leave behind.
Together, the song and video approach betrayal from two angles: ‘Willpower’ documents the anger that follows it, while the visual explores what happens when that anger becomes difficult to leave behind. The result is a considered step into darker territory for ALEIA, built as much around atmosphere and narrative as its alternative/ indie-rock and pop foundations.
