In the case of Free Electric State‘s clip for “Yr Last Mistake,” it’s hard not to project recent events onto the images it portrays. The first video for the band’s recently released sophomore album, Monumental Life, intersperses a well-shot live performances with footage of an overly eye-shadowed woman trying to escape from two similarly made-up captors. They have bound her with ribbon and pull at her from behind as she struggles to escape. She fights for most of the five-minute clip, finally breaking free at the end. Bassist/vocalist Shirllé Hale and guitarist David Koslowski recently relocated to Baltimore leaving drummer Tony Stiglitz and guitarist Nick Williams in their home base of Durham. The distance is considerable, stretching this band as much as the ribbon in this clip. But “Yr Last Mistake” is proof that FES have a sound worth maintaining. Like many of Monumental Life‘s songs, it refines their attack, deftly deploying enormous shoegaze riffs in a way that only bolsters Hale’s cathartic belts. FES bridges genre divides more nimbly than most of their peers. Perhaps they can manage the 250 miles that now separate them with similar ease. –Jordan Lawrence