In its musicality alone, Montreal neoclassical pianist Alexandra Stréliski's single "Changing Winds" evokes poignant feelings of reflection and solitude. When paired with its new Vincent René Lortie-directed video, the song's effect is palpable.

"Inspired both by [Erik] Satie and John Cage, this piece conveys a very intimate mood," says Stréliski, whose second album Inscape will be released on Oct. 5. "It is the piece where things are slowly changing for me, but I am keeping it for myself."

The shimmering, three-minute piano ballad pirouettes throughout the duration of the music video, which has Stréliski sitting alone at her piano, overlooking a sparsely lit apartment complex while the rain falls outside. At first, the navy blue-lit visuals kindle a sense of loneliness — yet, not sadness — until unexplained rock formations begin to float between the buildings, causing apartment dwellers' lights to slowly flick on. The conclusion leaves you with a feeling of awakening and harmony.

"We’ve all experienced this feeling of being cloistered in a box, restrained by rules to follow as if we were all destined to become the same person. In these boxes, illustrated here by apartment towers, countless people have built their homes, but have trouble connecting with each other," says Lortie. "For me, the only light that shines in the night symbolizes the hope of an artist still awake in an empty, dark and detached world.

"With a simple story, I tried to illustrate this moment of understanding, where the artist realizes that she has two choices; either to accept or to destroy these four walls. 'Changing Winds' is a state of desire and a fear of change. It is the origin of an explosion."

While Stréliski made her debut in 2010 with Pianoscope, she gained mainstream recognition after having her music featured in Jean-Marc Vallée’s films Dallas Buyers Club and Demolition and, more recently, the trailer of the acclaimed HBO series, Big Little Lies.

Inscape will be released Oct. 5 on Secret City Records.

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