ELISA AMBROGIO has been singing for noise rock band MAGIK MARKERS since 2001, gaining recognition and respect with their eclectic noise/post-punk/psych rock sound that brought them out of their basement and onto several US and European tours. Now she’s stepping away from all that racket and reverb to release her debut solo album THE IMMORALIST on DRAG CITY (the same label responsible for the previous two Magik Markers albums Surrender to the Fantasy and Balf Quarry).

Our first peak at what this “new solo voice in the wilderness” will sound like is the dreamy “Superstitious.” This is Elisa Ambrogio at her most tender and sentimental, practically whispering the heart wrenching lyrics “I get superstitious/when it comes/to you and me” over light-tapped percussion and graceful piano. She even provides a backing beat of breathy “ooh la la”s that ties it into the perfect little indie-songstress package.

But knowing it’s all a little sentimental, she pairs the premier track with a wacky video that speaks to her silly side, directed by Naomi Yang (of Galaxie 500). She goofs off with a vacuum tube, shoves flowers in her mouth and makes a lot of funny faces at the camera. It isn’t what you would expect to go with the gentle-but-powerful song, but it is what we know of Ambrogio, who directed Magik Markers’s quirky collaged video for “Mirrorless.” Interestingly, tarot cards appear in both music videos; maybe Ambrogio is so talented because she’s conspiring with the fates? Well, something magical is happening here.

The full album was just released October 21st and puts a well-deserved spotlight on her after over a decade of making music. Get it here.