We’ve all found ourselves making adjustments throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Lora Kelley, she, her husband, and their three children had to make some major pivots as the long-term implications of the pandemic set in.

“As the pandemic began to gain momentum, and it became clear that there was an indefinite nature to it swirling around us, my husband (a wedding photographer) and I decided the most conservative approach to outlasting the pandemic’s emotional and economic impact was to sell our house, and to try and pivot swiftly to a job that had a more essential nature to it,” Kelley explained. “One morning, after sleeping at my mother’s house, I woke up confused as to where I was. For a minute, I was back in time waking up in our old house, the morning light pouring sideways through the blinds. It felt like an alternate timeline, and that many pre-pandemic memories only exist in that in-between space of waking and sleeping.”

This tumultuous time also led to Kelley’s new music video and single, “Waking Dream.” Premiered by American Songwriter, the gentle folk rock ballad is about finding a way forward through the uncertainty of the times, while also acknowledging that life may never go back to “normal.”

“As the pandemic up-ended our livelihood and our home, it became clear that nothing would ever return to the way it was,” Kelley said. “There was no going back, and the only way to make it through was to offer each other the opportunity to press on.”

As for the video, it was filmed and directed by Josh Gooden, who captured the once-crowded beaches and landmarks of Asbury Park, NJ in a state of pandemic-induced abandonment. It’s a sight that is eerie and tranquil to behold, all at once.

“Waking Dream” is the first single from Lora Kelley’s forthcoming album, Domystique, coming this spring. Watch the video below!