Psychedelic folk shapeshifters AKA BELLE return with their latest single, “The Envy of Venus,” a vibrant, genre-warping track that leans fully into the band’s flair for theatrical storytelling and sun-soaked psychedelia.
Drawing from a love of tropicalia in the spirit of Os Mutantes, “The Envy of Venus” opens with a reverent, almost sermon-like introduction before spiraling into a kaleidoscopic swirl of theremin, vibraphone, electric guitar, and exotic percussion. The journey culminates in a sweeping, impassioned chorus designed to lodge itself firmly in the listener’s brain.
Told from the perspective of Mother Earth, the song playfully anthropomorphizes the cosmos while offering a pointed, tongue-in-cheek commentary on humanity’s often destructive relationship with the planet. It’s a love story entangled in a socio-ecological dilemma, wrapped in a retro-futurist, space-age bossa nova groove.
AKA BELLE have become known for their ceremonial, glitter-drenched live performances—often featuring homemade props—and their fearless rejection of genre boundaries. Blending psych-folk, rebellious tropicalia, and protest pop with lush harmonic vocals, the band’s music channels messages of love, resistance, equality, and collective belonging, all delivered with a sense of playful mysticism.
“The Envy of Venus” marks the third release from AKA BELLE’s upcoming double album, All Time Is Now / Now Is All You Have, due out in April 2026 via Moon Ruins Records.
The song’s accompanying animated video, created by Boise-based animator and filmmaker Emily Brixey, is now available to watch below:
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