Speedy Ortiz leader Sadie Dupuis is releasing Haunted Painting, the second album from her pop-leaning Sad13 project, at the end of the week. We’ve already posted early tracks “WTD?,” “Ghost (Of A Good Time),” “Oops…!,” and “Hysterical,” and now we’re getting one more taste with “Ruby Wand” before the full LP drops on Friday.

“Ruby’s my birthstone, thought to alleviate negative emotional energy and benefit self-awareness,” Dupuis explains. “So a ‘Ruby Wand’ would be an instrument to conjure those changes. The song is about working through an OCD flare up in the wake of complicated grief — seeking control through small rituals, good and bad.”

“Lyrically, it’s more literal than most of my songs, and the music mirrors that narrative,” she continues. “The synths are calculating but also fantastical, while the guitars and drums push against that clock in heavy chaos. Might as well also admit that ‘Ruby Wand’ is a weapon from Star Ocean, one of my very favorite RPGs.”

Listen and watch the accompanying stop-motion music video from Benjamin Stillerman below.

Haunted Painting is out 9/25 on Wax Nine. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Natalie Piserchio