After igniting widespread conversation with his visceral protest anthem “Guns for the Children” — a video that has amassed nearly 20,000 views — genre-defying artist and cultural creator Iago Haussman, known as The Spikes, returns with a fragile longing new single, “Dancing (In the Palm of My Hand),” dropping July 25. This track is a powerful plunge into the delicate space between desire and despair—a sonic dream-state that captures the relentless ache of pursuing the unattainable. Drawing inspiration from the transcendent allure of The Great Gatsby, The Spikes weaves a rich tapestry of longing, loss, and raw emotion, where each note and lyric unravels the threads of memory and myth, inviting listeners to face the poignant beauty of what can never be held.

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Rooted deeply in the mythos of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the song dissolves the lines between literature, memory, and vulnerable longing. “’Dancing (In the Palm of My Hand)’ draws directly from the book and its enigmatic central figure,” Iago explains. “Gatsby is portrayed as an almost mystical human being—an elusive symbol of desire and mystery.” Immersing listeners in a haze of poetry, The Spikes paints vivid, surreal imagery with lyrics like:

She dances in the palm of my hand 

Speaking words no one can understand

She dances in the palm of my hand

But her smile has a twisted plan

These lyrics perfectly capture the song’s exploration of fleeting desire, hidden motives and the line between beauty and danger. “We don’t really know Gatsby’s past, his life, his emotional depth, and his pursuit of attainable love,” Iago continues. “We really don’t know much about him at all, so I tried to put myself into his perspective, and dive into the deeper mystery of this enigmatic figure. I connect deeply to the idea of the intense, painful longing for something ultimately and eternally unattainable.”

The accompanying video, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Haussman—known for his award-winning work with Madonna, Kanye West, and Justin Timberlake—blends three creative threads: a live unplugged session, behind-the-scenes documentary footage, and a stylized music video. Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s “Sympathy for the Devil,” it invites viewers to drift between process and performance, capturing the quiet chaos that surrounds the music itself. “We let the camera drift, capturing the silence between takes, the raw moments,” Iago says. “It wasn’t just a music video anymore—it became a memory of making the song.”

While Iago’s last single embraced rebellion and shocked the globe, “Dancing (In the Palm of My Hands)” steps into a more abstract, emotional space. “I’m not sure there’s a message there, exactly. And that’s really not for me to say, is it, what the audience takes away?” he reflects. “A feeling, perhaps? Or an image? The song deals with joy, beauty and loss. It’s a love song, really, and is more existential than political, unlike my last single.”