Earlier this month, Ari Lennox announced her third studio album, Vacany — her first under a new deal with Interscope Records, separate from Dreamville, her label home for the past ten years. At the same time, Lennox shared the album’s second single, “Under The Moon,” a doo-wop accented update of her dreamy, neo-soul-influenced sound.
Today, she’s shared the music video, which takes more influence from Black music history, and its spooky season release date. Yes, folks, that’s a Thriller reference, and the “Under The Moon” is absolutely awash in them. Tapping into the ’50s aesthetic of the instrumental, the video opens with Ari on a diner date, giving the first foreshadowing something is off with her date’s unusual order (it’s basically just a slab of ground beef, if you read for context).
Of course, rather than being a helpless victim in her interpretation of the werewolf legend, Ari prefers to be a willing participant, revealing her own animalistic tendencies. It has about as happy an ending as you could expect from this sort of thing, more Twilight than Wolfman, if you will. Ari may be in her “soft girl era,” but that looks like that means embracing her darker impulses as much as it does indulging in cuddly self-care.
You can watch Ari Lennox’s “Under The Moon” video above.
Vacancy is out 1/23/26 via Interscope. You can find more info here.