Cleo Reed’s 2025 release Cuntry stood out as one of the year’s most striking records, a provocative blend of electronic textures and folk mood that pushed back against the fatigue of labor. Today, the New York–based multidisciplinary artist reveals a kind of afterword—a new EP titled Is This How Empires Die?—and unveils its country-flavored lead single, “American Dream.” Reed explains:
“american dream” serves as my counter-anthem, the disquiet that follows waking from a nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. It carries afro-surrealist hues and a stance against empire. I undertook a formidable task, and now we arrive at this moment. We live in an era dominated by AI-generated music, mass floods, surveillance, and ongoing crises—yet these forces are somehow interrupted by the occasional joys of traditional holidays. I wrote the track for a hypothetical day when I’m marking the Fourth of July, and then a storm rolls in. This marks a waking from a perfect dream. It’s time to face reality.
The accompanying video was shot roughly 30 miles from Tulsa, in Beggs, Oklahoma, on Independence Day, capturing the multigenerational Black rodeo hosted annually by the Demery Family. Listen to “American Dream” ahead of Reed’s appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in London tomorrow.
Is This How Empires Die? is out 12/4. Pre-order it here.
