Kaitlin Butts debuts her first music video with her January 29th release of “Blood,” a no-holds-barred, inside look at marital despair and what it means to love a narcissist. 

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to catch Kaitlin and her band, the Asstronauts, live since her 2022 release of her acclaimed album What Else Can She Do most likely are already aware of the emotional, and deeply personal connection she has to the “Blood” track. Co-written with Angaleena Presley of the Pistol Annies, “Blood” was largely born of Butts’ own childhood experience of bearing witness to the emotional abuse suffered by her mother at the hands of her narcissistic father. Live listeners ride cathartic waves of redemption with Kaitlin as the female protagonist of the song plaintively, but purposefully, confronts her abuser with her mistreatment. All those who have ever found themselves trapped in a similar relationship instinctively understand the bravery inherent in simply naming out loud the injustice of their maltreatment, as that mere act alone is enough to elicit an explosion of anger from the aggressor as they attempt to gaslight their victim and shift any accountability away from themselves. 

Beautifully shot with bucket loads of mood orchestrated by romantic 1950's aesthetics, tempered by lighting that is sometimes warm and comforting, but in an instant flashes to a dangerous deep red, the video is an artful and accurate representation of the concepts contained within the lyrics.

An announcement from Kaitlin via her social media outlets gives more insight into the track and it's visual rendering in Kaitlin's own words:

“The Blood music video is out now. It meant a lot to me to be able to depict how I see this song in my head and show exactly the kind of behavior I wrote this song about," Kaitlin said on release day. "With an abusive, alcoholic narcissist, you try to reason with them. You cater to their ego by quietly bringing up something that is bothering you about their behavior. You don’t hold back, you don’t play nice. That doesn’t land like you thought it would and they, not so kindly, put you back in your place. You try to set boundaries hoping they might respect you for standing up for yourself," she goes on to explain. "You go too far, and you get too close. Then all of a sudden, you’re not sure if it’s even worth the fight, so you put yourself back in your place. I hold my tongue, swallow my pride, and stay. They silently hold power over you, daring you to make another move and see what happens. Because…" She adds with weight, "What are *you* gonna do? Finally, you’ve had enough. You stand up, give them exactly what they have given you, and turn into the monster that they are just so that they could turn around and say, “You’re crazy.” You realize that there is nothing you can do to win this fight. Nobody will win this fight. The only answer is to leave." 

Amen, Kaitlin. May all those women (and men) that need to hear this, hear you. 

View the video below:

For tour dates, visit the artist's page at https://www.kaitlinbutts.com/

Kaitlin’s Instagram

Kaitlin’s Spotify

Cast- @kaitlinbutts @theflycatchers

Story - @kaitlinbutts

Director-@rahul.chkra

Producer- @ryan_magnani

DP | Color- @eastonoliverokc

Set Design- @sunnielifestyle

Stylist- @jessichapmanx

HMU- @hannahgatescreates

1st AC- @_lesliemejia_

Gaffer- @oddsevans

Agency-@chakra.media

Vendors- @ngpfilm @leswooo @eastonoliverokc @oddsevans @knf.studio

Location: Rose State College / Atkinson Heritage Center