Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine’s new song was inspired by the childhood-ruining movie ‘Return to Oz.’
Augustine says he had already written most of “Back to Oz” at home in California, but he and Stevens finished the lyrics after watching. The track also arrives with an animated music video, directed by Alex Horan and animated by Clara Murray, which is packed with references to Dorothy and Oz, but is also strange, psychedelic, and eerie.] defies the rules of what a children’s movie is allowed to be,” Augustine says.
“I thought it was interesting and funny that the setting of the movie is a fictional California State College because the lead character’s name is ‘Whittier,’ which is the name of an actual city in Southern California,” he says. “I live in California myself and interacting with people here can feel like a fantasy movie where everyone has their own character and role they feel expected to play. California might as well be a fictional place.