Video Premiere – Page 3

PREMIERE: Doe Paoro Releases Intimate New Video for “Walk Through The Fire”

LA-by-way-of Syracuse’s dreamy siren, Doe Paoro, and her new album, Soft Power, are the kind of dynamic sonic duo rarely found in the music industry today. Passionate and empowered, Soft Power combines the alluring mystique of The Shirelles, The Ronnettes, and other original girl groups of the ’60s, with the kind of blazing soul found in the children of the liberated and rebellious.

Audiofemme caught up with Paoro before she took to the road for her upcoming tour to talk music, healing, unrelenting honesty in the midst of pain, and the intimate video for her single, “Walk Through The Fire.”

AF: You transformed incredible frustration and pain into a gorgeous record, full of passion, soul, and rebellion. How did you work through the negativity and transform anguish into art?

DP: I think by just being really present with it and acknowledging it, and acknowledging that these things were coming up for me. Not trying to control the feelings but instead writing about it and sitting down with my guitar and really just allowing them to pass through.

AF: Why do you think music and art are so important when it comes to healing and growing through difficult times?

DP: Oh, gosh, that’s such a big question. I think they offer abstract ways for us to process things, and I think there’s something, both in making art but also in being a fan of music and art, of getting the sense that somebody else has walked the same path as you at some point and has made it through. I was reading something recently about how isolation is really the source of all anxiety, and sometimes [when] we hear, “Well, when I was a teenager, and I heard a song about something I was going through, and it was like, okay, somebody else has thought that way,” that sense of isolation is lessened a little bit. Music also just heals on a completely vibrational level. There’s a lot of healing that comes from art.

AF: Your music is evocative and recalls girl groups from the 60s, like The Shirelles. What does it mean to you to be compared to the women who first pioneered the music industry in a time where feminism was still considered a dirty word?

DP: I mean, I’m so honored and flattered to be compared to some of the artists who have inspired me over the years, and through this record, and always a bit overwhelmed by it. Women musicians are part of a lineage of artists who are working to both expand our craft and expand the sense of empowerment and placement that woman have in the art world.

AF: How do you carry the flame with your own career to help clear the path for those who come after you?

DP: It’s funny, I was looking at some old pictures today of bands I was in when I was like…16, and it was me and this group of guys. It’s such a normalized experience, playing with men, and for a long time, I just accepted it, but these songs, they’re inclusive of a lot of the experience of what it’s been like for me to be a woman in the music industry. I was playing them originally with a band of guys, and I was like, “This just doesn’t feel authentic.” I didn’t feel like they could relate, [despite] their best intentions… they didn’t understand exactly what these songs mean to me, and I just needed to feel a little bit safer in that way.

So I really changed my band up, for one. I play with a lot of women now in my band; that’s one thing. But also just talking about these issues and not falling victim to silence because of shame or guilt or blame, or all the other tactics that are used to keep women quiet about misogyny that they’ve encountered. I really do see that as part of my responsibility as a creative person to step up to and make it so that it’s not the norm, so that people in twenty years see mostly men headlining festivals, or that having an all-girl band is an anomaly. I want these things to be normalized because there are so many amazing musicians who are women, and are just as good.

You know, unless it’s like NSYNC, we don’t say it’s a boy band. But when it’s an all girl band, we’re like, “Oh, that’s an all-girl band! I’d love to be in an all-lady band!” It’s very cute, but that says something about how our culture thinks about gender and music.

AF: What would you consider the greatest inspiration for Soft Power?

DP: My music is super personal, and every record’s kind of a diary of the time period I’m writing it in, but I think there’s a lot in the title and a lot of things that I tackle in this record that I hadn’t really talked about in the past, just power dynamics. I have had a lot of trauma in the last few years, just working in the music industry and being a woman. This record was really about me examining and reclaiming some of that power that I’ve lost, and acknowledging it, and the title was my mission statement for myself on how I wanna be in the world. Just because I’ve been a victim of abuse of power doesn’t mean I’m going to carry on that way. For me, it’s like the pendulum is in this sort of toxic masculinity, in the way that countries are being led and business is being done, and we have the opportunity for the pendulum to swing the other way, which is a much less violent, kind power, one that’s a little more compassionate, you know?

AF: What was the most challenging part of writing Soft Power? What was your proudest moment?

DP: I think the song “Guilty” was the last one I wrote, and that was like — it’s interesting. You know, now we talk about #MeToo and the #TimesUp Movement, and I wrote that song in 2016, which was way before all of this happened. At that time, people weren’t talking about it the way they are now. So that was really challenging. I was contemplating not writing about it, but a friend of mine was talking about it and was like, “I really think you need to write about this experience,” and I was like, “I don’t even know how you’d put that into song.” So kind of challenging myself to be honest, and to write about topics that I haven’t written about before, and feeling that responsibility to expand out of my own comfort zone.

I would maybe say the most special moment was in writing “The Vine,” just because lyrically, it’s probably the one I’m most proud of. The craziest thing is that I wrote it in like ten minutes, so it just felt like something that was supposed to exist in the universe. There are some songs that I’d been writing for, you know, four years, so it’s just kinda a mystical moment for me. I think it’s such a wild experience when you just surprise yourself.

AF: There’s an overall feeling of rebellion throughout Soft Power; did you set out to write a record to the theme, or did it just occur naturally?

DP: Yeah, I definitely didn’t write it with that pretense, but it just came out. I think that’s true.

AF: What’s your creative process like?

DP: I do a lot of journaling, I do a lot of writing, and looking to other people. What usually happens is that a few words in a conversation will just spark a song. I’ll get really inspired by a phrase and craft the whole story around that, and come with my lyrics. Then I’ll bring it to somebody else, and we’ll kind of work out the music together, because I love coming up with melodies, but I’m not the best instrumentalist.

AF: How have you grown and changed as an artist and performer since your previous release, After?

DP: You know, before my last record, I hadn’t toured extensively. I did tour a lot on my last record, so that experience really changed the way I perform, in terms of having confidence or feeling like I know what I’m doing, because…I don’t know, I didn’t go to school to be a musician. I’m completely self-trained and, technically, I’m missing a lot of information, so it’s all been really trial and error, and almost imposter syndrome in the first years of being an artist, when you don’t have that training. And maybe if you do, too, I can’t speak to that. But for me it’s about really owning that this is my path and feeling confident in that.

AF: How did the move from Syracuse to LA impact you as an artist?

DP: LA could not be more different than Syracuse; it’s really like working class, there’s not a very big art scene — at least there wasn’t when I was growing up — so it’s really inspiring. I came with a lot of naivety, because I didn’t grow up with anybody who was in arts and the business, and I didn’t know how that world navigated, so it’s been a lot of learning over the years. I’ve really had to step up to embracing a path that I hadn’t seen modeled for me as a child.

AF: How has your platform given you the freedom to express yourself through music? How do you use your music to give your fans the freedom to do the same?

DP: Well, I just try to be really honest. I try to be honest with myself, and I feel like that’s the responsibility of any artist to continue to do that. I feel like there are a lot of artists who gave me that freedom, and made me feel like it was okay, you know? Like Fiona Apple or certain artists that sang about things that I thought were almost unspeakable in some ways, in the place that I grew up in, so I just hope that that carries through and that people hear that and feel that they have space to do that as well.

AF: You mention walking a path that no one modeled for you. That takes a lot of inner courage, but it’s so easy to forget the power that we have within us. How do you remind yourself of that power in the moments that you feel weak?

DP: I just think “This too shall pass.” I think about different expressions like, “It’s darkest before the dawn,” and I think about what I’ve been through. I try to reflect on all that I’ve come through and, you know, the “More will be revealed.” You’ve just gotta keep going and do the next right thing for yourself, because you can’t identify with defeat. It’s such a passing thing, and the second you start over-identifying with that, it’s easy to lose the plot.

AF: Soft Power was recorded to tape with a live band, which forces you into a situation of spontaneity. What was that like?

DP: With my last record, After, we worked on it for like a year, and it was just so heavy. There was so much thought and it was beautiful, but I just wanted something different, because I always want to keep trying new stuff. I was like, I want something that’s the opposite of that, because what I hear happening in music over the last few years, trend-wise, is people doing a lot of things on the computer where there’s just no end to the amount of editing you can do. Sometimes I think that my best ideas are my first ones, and once I start overthinking them, I just lose it. So I was excited about the process of making a record that was essentially capturing people’s first instincts about what to play, and that’s how we did it. I would basically play the band the song, and they would listen to it maybe four times, and then we just captured what they felt was the right thing for them to play, because it was on tape. It was limited on how much time we could spend on that.

AF: Do you think you’ve translated that inability to overthink or doubt yourself to your daily life since then?

DP: I’m trying to, I really am. I think that becoming an artist and being in it long enough is all about learning how to really, deeply trust your instincts. I’m sure other artists would say the same. But it’s like the second you start giving away your power, whether it’s to a manager or a record label, you really can lose yourself, and you’ve just got to trust what’s coming into your heart.

AF: Your video for “Walk Through The Fire” is so intimate, and full of energy; how did you capture that feeling?

DP: I think it’s just a truthful little capturing of the energy between all of us. We really love playing together and respect each other so much, both as musicians and as friends, and every time we play together, we have that dynamic.

AF: What inspired “Walk Through The Fire”? What do you hope your fans take away from it?

DP: I think “Walk Through The Fire” is inspired by the idea that the hardest moments in our lives are the ones where we have to walk alone. I feel like there are moments in all of our lives where we cannot turn to other people for the answers or look to someone else to get us out of the mess we’ve made. Nobody else can walk us through the process of transformation; maybe that’s a better way to say it. My life has been a lot of transformation, so I keep learning that. I don’t know, fire — it’s like humans have been gathering around fire and watching it since we were cavemen. It never gets old, that experience of sitting around a campfire and just watching it spark up. I think we’re very hypnotized by its ability to burn and start over, and it’s certainly relevant to what we’re going through.

Listen to Doe Paoro’s remix of “Over” and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

DOE PAORO TOUR DATES

11.27 – Portland, OR @ Lola’s Room
11.28 – Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theatre
11.30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
12.1 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
12.3 – Austin. TX @ North Door
12.4 – Dallas, TX @ Dada
12.6 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
12.7 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
12.8 – Durham, NC @ Pinhook
12.9 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
12.11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC
12.12 – Boston, MA @ Cafe 939
12.13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
12.14 – Findlay, OH @ Marathon Center for the Performing Arts
12.15 – Evanston, IL @ SPACE
12.16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
12.18 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
12.20 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

VIDEO PREMIERE: Code Anchor “Hoist”

Do you remember a time when bands could pack venues with zero social media presence? That was the case for Code Anchor only 8 years ago, who had a significant following in Long Island, NY before their breakup scattered its members across the country. This distance didn’t stop them from rekindling their musical partnership and for the past two years they have been recording and sharing clips postal service style, creating their first record in ten years. If you are tired of hearing the same radio hits but are craving some nostalgic high energy rock in the vein of Foo Fighters, Incubus, and Weezer, Code Anchor’s reunion record, Hoist, will certainly satisfy when it drops this November. They’re playing one show in Amityville, NY at Revolution Bar and Music Hall on September 15th. Watch the video for the title track from Hoist below.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Emily Jane Powers “Sullen Days”

With her latest video, Emily Jane Powers proves there’s more than one shade of blue when it comes to feeling sad. The Chicago-based art rocker’s clip for “Sullen Days” is an atmospheric meditation on the spectrum of emotions contained within a sullen or sad mood. The entire video was shot on an iPhone by Powers’ husband, bass player, and creative collaborator Alec Jensen (Dream Version). The couple’s DIY approach and clear creative intimacy yielded a raw visual that coincides with Powers’ honest songwriting.

To capture the phases of sadness, the pair wanted to portray Powers as a passive vessel, experiencing, but not engaging, in the moving world around her. “I think that one of the biggest themes of the video was that things were happening around me, but I was passive and still,” says Powers. “We’re trying to evoke an idea that there’s a loss of control as well, which I think goes along with the mood I’m describing.”

However, it’s not always easy to remain still while hanging out of a moving car, which is how the bulk of the video was filmed. “There were a few times when Alec was driving in circles and I was physically unable to hold on to the car,” says Powers. This explains some of her agitated facial expressions throughout the film, but Powers also describes how the “sullenness” she’s capturing doesn’t hold one distinct characteristic. “To be sullen or sad isn’t just one mood, it’s a range of moods that can change pretty rapidly, and the changes of the moods in the video illustrate that,” says Powers.

Powers’ voice swells and evolves, too. Starting in a calm, hypnotic tone and spiraling into a swirl of inundated emotion, she rattles off stream-of-consciousness lyrics that hint to the depths of her psyche. She even identifies the effect her peers can unwittingly have on her feeling when she sings of “transferred desire.”

“I am pretty hyper-aware of the transference of emotions when I’m with people,” says Powers. “If someone’s sad or I’m with someone that’s happy, I sometimes absorb that too easily. Desire could be a bunch of different things – desire to feel better, desire to belong.”

It’s easy to empathize with Powers’ weighted conscious in “Sullen Days,” a cathartic burst of artistic expression. Watch the video below, premiering exclusively on Audiofemme.

Sullen Days by Emily Jane Powers from EJP on Vimeo.

VIDEO PREMIERE: PowerSnap “Chemistry”

The only thing I remember from high school chemistry class is making ice cream and how a microwave works. I don’t remember any specific purple substances guarded by emotionless 20-somethings wearing black. Like PowerSnap front woman Romi Hanoch, I too would be intrigued and would feel the need to attain said purple substance. Maybe this purple substance is the essence of PowerSnaps’ punk grunge pop, and once you have a taste it will send your brain into a fuzz-soaked seizure. Formed after two members moved to NYC from Tel Aviv, this new band’s crunchy guitars and grimy vocal hooks will stick to your head like that purple goo would stick to those white walls. PowerSnap new EP ‘Delatency’ out now on King Pizza Records. Watch their new video, written/directed Gal Shaya and Efrat Kariv below…

VIDEO PREMIERE: LYONS “Strawberry Moon”

The moon controls the tides of our oceans, and since humans are about 60% water, it makes sense that the moon could possibly be influencing the tides of our minds. According to some astrologists, the full moon’s influence on your life can last plus or minus five days. It can signify the culmination of a project or relationship, or inspire you to manifest your best self. In honor of June’s most recent full moon, Asbury Park psych rockers LYONS released a video for their new single “Strawberry Moon.” Soaked in sage and singing bowls, LYONS conduct their strawberry séance in the magical forests of Central Jersey. LYONS’ shoegazey punk is the perfect soundtrack for reflecting on your intentions and moving forward, letting go of what does not serve you, in the shadow of this full moon. LYONS are currently recording their new album to be released on Little Dickman Records and will be playing at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 13th.

INTERVIEW: Sharkmuffin Flashes Fangs in “Factory”

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*Left to Right: Chris Nunez, Natalie Kirch, Drew Adler, Tarra Thiessen. Photo by Thomas Ignatius.*

Sharkmuffin have been rocking Brooklyn and beyond for five years now, and plan to commemorate their anniversary with the release of a split EP with their buds The Off White via Little Dickman Records on July 21. Earlier this year, they also put out phenomenal full-length LP “Tsuki”; the record veers through searing rock and roll tunes to more mellow tracks with an underlying darkness.

One of these is “Factory,” and the video reflects that darkness perfectly. It begins in 1904 with guitarist and vocalist Tarra Thiessen and bassist Natalie Kirsch portraying factory girls. In a series of events involving romance and trickery, they become vampire goddesses, turning guitarist Chris Nunez and drummer Drew Adler into vampires as well. Over the course of a century, they have gained more rights and ownership of the factory, meeting with Trump in the present day as he tries to take it over. Without much negotiation, they completely devour him.

Check out the video below and keep scrolling for our interview with Thiessen and Kirch about their latest EP, touring with The Off White, and Vampires vs. Hierarchy.

(Originally premiered via Tidal)

AudioFemme: Who did you work with in the making of the video for “Factory”?

Tarra Thiessen: Eric Durkin shot and edited it, Vramshabouh of The Big Drops and Wild Moon played the first factory owner, Davey Jones of Lost Boy? and The So So Glos played the next victim trying to buy the factory, and Nick Rogers of Holy Tunics and Jordan Bell of GP Strips were also part of our vampire family at the end of the video.

AF: What inspired the message of the video? Do the lyrics also have a political undertone?

TT: I didn’t intend for the lyrics to have any political message while I was writing them. The song tells a story of a very young woman factory worker who falls in love with her boss. The owner of the factory then crosses professional and personal boundaries in the relationship and it gets complicated.

Natalie Kirch: The video’s theme of female factory workers over the ages and the changing power dynamic between male and female factory workers and business owners were inspired by Tarra’s lyrics. At the turn of the 20th century, many women worked in fabric factories. During World War II, it was mostly canned food and ammunition for the troops, so we played into the historical social themes as well. I am also a horror buff, which is where the gimmick on Nosferatu came into play. It allowed us to maintain the same characters but show how dynamics are changing over the eras. Actually, Jordan, Nick and I are in a Horror Book Club together so they seemed like the perfect friends to ask for the part. Once we had come up with the idea of the women switching roles as business owners, Tarra thought the final victim should be Trump – he matched the prototype: business owner, disrespectful of women, etc.

AF: Do you feel Trump is essentially trying put women out of business and dismiss the effort they have put into equal rights movements over the past century? It seems like you’re saying to him: you can’t buy your way out of acknowledging our struggle?

NK: I don’t know if he is even conscious enough of his decisions to be so pointed in them, but he has definitely shown that he believes women are inferior and not worthy of the same rights as men in our society.

TT: It’s really unfortunate and unbelievable that someone who so obviously doesn’t feel women are equal is our president in 2017. It’s a really strange time and we can’t sit around and let him reverse years of equal rights movements in a few tweets.

AF: Why vampires? Does Trump become a vampire himself or do you devour him without a trace? He is the last person that should ever live for eternity.

NK: He is consumed as feed. We ended the video on that note to imply that he was not going to make an appearance as a vampire.

TT: Don’t worry, we don’t want a Trump vampire to deal with for all of eternity either. Originally, we wanted to keep the fact that it was Trump more vague, so that the final victim’s arrogant hand gestures and weird hair piece could represent any human attempting to change how much women’s rights have improved since the turn of the century.

AF: What’s the most difficult aspect of creating a music video?

TT: Keeping everyone on task enough to get all the necessary shots. It’s easy to get side tracked because it’s so much fun filming videos.

NK: Organizing everyone’s schedules and ideas.

AF: Do you feel touring extensively is still an effective way for musicians to promote themselves? Do you see a difference in your audience and surroundings while on the road with Trump as president?

TT: I personally feel like it’s more important now than ever to be a touring musician, because in many different parts of the US it seems they rarely get to see women musicians like us and it can be really empowering for women who feel more vulnerable in today’s political climate. The biggest compliment we can get from anyone who comes out to see us play is that we inspired them to want to play music and/or start a band.

NK: Absolutely. Especially if you are a band who puts on a strong live act, it encourages more people to develop an interest in your music. It is usually clear what area of the states we are in by the responses and comments we get in different areas. Men will often comment on how they have never seen a “girl shred like Tarra” or how it’s surprising I can play “such a big bass for such a little girl.” However, I don’t think any die-hard Trump fans would be showing up for a Sharkmuffin set.

AF: How was hitting the road with The Off White? When and why did you guys decide to come together for a split EP?

NK: We love those boys so much. They are tons of fun to hang out with and extremely talented musicians. I never get bored of their music; it totally rocks and they put on a killer live set.

TT: They’re so much fun! I think we had been thinking of doing a split together since the fall and finally got enough material together to make it happen.

Sharkmuffin is on tour again in August; check out the dates below and catch a killer show in your area!

8/11 @ Brooklyn Bazaar w/ Hanks Cupcakes

8/12 @ Porta Pizza, Jersey City, NJ w/ The Big Drops

8/16 @ The Meatlocker, Montclair, NJ~

8/19 @ Mad Liberation Fest, Hammington, NJ~

8/20 TBA, Ashville, NC

8/22 @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NC~

8/23 @ TBA, Nashville, TN~

8/24 @ Best Friend Bar, Lexington, KY~

8/25 @ Jurassic Park, Chicago IL~

8/26 @ Milkies, Buffalo, NY~

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VIDEO PREMIERE: Mizuna “And I Do”

New York-by-way-of-Maine-based duo Mizuna invite you to escape your hectic week in their new music video for the single “And I Do” off of their debut album, From Away, From Here.

Despite spending their childhood together in Maine, Genviève Beaudoin and Mackenzie Leighton aptly became friends in a poetry class at New York University (where I also met the girls), after which they continued sharing their work. Though serendipitous in their reunion, their voices were made to harmonize with one another, melding together like warm tea and honey.

Those voices carry the sentimental quality of lines such as, “Sour so much I taste, harder bitter your love is so/I know I’ll see you on the street.” Genviève recalled that she first wrote this verse in the spring of 2012, and didn’t return to it until the making of the album last summer. “I came upon the demo this past August, a time when I was feeling the weight of a pretty sore break-up,” she revealed. “And it surprised me how real that verse had come to be.”

The lyrics go hand in hand with aged footage of cloudy skies and telephone lines, and the film grain crackling across cropped-haired ladies in one-piece swimsuits in the video directed by Victoria Deleone.

From Away, From Here, released independently for streaming in January, was recently made available for physical purchase via bandcamp as well. The sublime debut features a catalog of warm sounds that make sense of being between places called home.

Check out our exclusive premiere of the dreamy music video for “And I Do” below, and be sure to catch Mizuna at Brooklyn’s Pete’s Candy Store on April 1.

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EP REVIEW + VIDEO PREMIERE: Catch Prichard’s “Eskota”

When I first met Sawyer Gebauer – the weighty, valley-low voice behind Catch Prichard – he was called another name. He was in another country, manning a different musical project (the melancholy Europe-based Brittsommar), and far removed from his American roots. He was physically away from home, but also emotionally and culturally. Gebauer has often discussed “home” as a symbol in interviews, namely that you can never return to it in a pure sense. It is a theme so prevalent in his work that it informed a song title on his latest EP Eskota. But in spite of his itinerant past, it seems that he’s getting mighty close to a hearth of his own making.

In the past twelve months, the songwriter has re-tethered himself to American soil after five years gone. Gebauer settled in the Bay Area last fall after a cross-country road trip that centered on the recording of this very album, in a Texas ghost town no less.

That town, was called Eskota.

The story of Eskota’s making is just as mesmerizing as the record itself, to the extent that it’s difficult to examine them separately…much like it’s a chore at times to distinguish Sawyer Gebauer from Catch Prichard, the artist from the person. There is a vague picture, but one cloaked in so much romanticism that it is blurred.

What is clear is the intent. What Gebauer set out to achieve as he drove from Wisconsin to Texas was a simpler sound, one detached from the dense arrangements of his former band. It had to be stripped down and restrained – so in order to facilitate such a mood, he and engineer Brad K. Dollar set up shop for a week in an abandoned mercantile. In the heat they lazed by day and recorded by night, drinking beer to pass the time between.

The record itself bears an authenticity that perhaps wouldn’t have surfaced had the tracks been laid in a fancy studio. Despite its simplicity (the pared down instrumentation features only guitar, pedal steel, drums and the occasional bass and Moog lines), there is a lot to chew on – a soup of intricate production details born of the location. Take for instance “Howl,” ushered in by a creaking chair and built upon the chirping Texas night. “You Can Never Go Home Again” signs off with lilting pedal steel and a faraway cough, presumably that of someone in the makeshift studio. These elements tastefully season the album like a well-prepared meal.

There is a warmth in Eskota I’ve yet to encounter in Gebauer’s music, an openness and vulnerability that doesn’t always show in his previous work. These songs seem both universally narrative and deeply personal, covering heartbreak (“So Close To It), friends remembered (“Eskota”), and becoming a native stranger (“Hometown”). Sonically it sits in a saddle between country, folk and Americana of the early ‘90s. Gebauer’s ten-gallon voice resonates over the brightness of electric guitar and pedal steel, anchoring any sweet feelings we might have with a dose of blues.

Though it’s taken a lot of mileage for him to get here, it seems Catch Prichard has arrived. Maybe you can go home after all.

Catch Prichard will play Rockwood Music Hall on October 26th. Tickets here.

Eskota is out October 21st via Devise Records. Stream the video by Leif Huron below:

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ARTIST INTERVIEW + VIDEO REVIEW: Cocovan “Chic (Someone To Love)”

Part French, part Iranian Cocovan disappeared for about a year—leaving her fans in the art and music world wandering through empty social media sites. Then, like the reincarnations of Madonna’s various styles, Cocovan reemerged as the glam-pop empress that she is now. She then released “Mirage Of Us” to rave responses. Yesterday, she put out the video for her brand new single “Chic (Someone To Love.”) And, yes—it’s just as electric. Cocovan is the creative drive behind the new material, directing the one-shot-behind-the-scenes video. Besides a few seconds of her holding a white hula-hoop and taking off her glam-ed-up leather jacket, it’s all her—dancing so gracefully, swishing her perfect short black hair, and posing like a goddess. This song puts me in the highest spirits, while making me feel like I could’ve been the coolest chick in the 80s. Check out her BRAND NEW video and lovely interview with Audiofemme below. You can also listen to her track here. Did I mention that she is also the biggest sweetheart? We LOVE her!

Greetings, love! The femmes are super excited to have you featured on our page!

It’s great to meet you too! And I am equally excited to be featured on Audiofemme, thank you so much for your support!

Q: First off, “Chic” is rotating nonstop, I love it. I’ve been blasting it in my car. I feel like I’m in the movie Drive, and I’m living in an 80s-esque film. If you haven’t seen the movie, I feel like you would totally enjoy it.

Oh thank you! I’m glad to hear that – It makes me happy to think “Chic” is playing somewhere in Brooklyn right now! I love the movie Drive. It’s funny you reference it, because even though I can’t actually drive (I know…), the imagery of driving is somehow a big inspiration to me. While I was writing my EP, I had videos like this one– playing on loop in the studio on a TV while I was writing, as a visual inspiration.

Q: I read that you are influenced by Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Prince. How has it affected your own unique style? (Or any other influences)?

I think it affected me in the way that it liberated me. I can’t find a way to say it without sounding cheesy- but basically to embrace my quirkiness. Beyond the fact that their music and style have inspired me to create my own, all these artists are muses to me- they guide me. My muses motivate me to push myself everyday, to push myself to always try and create better art.

Q. Your recent project was you directing the video for “Chic.” I can’t wait to see it. Can we expect your creative drive in more videos, etc.?

Hehe! The video is out now! I hope you will enjoy it!

I’ve always been very involved in the visual side of my project. From logos, to artworks, to videos… To me, “Cocovan” is both a visual and musical project. In more recent news, I just shot two new music videos for the next singles! I love making videos, eventually I’d love to direct videos for other artists too.

Q. And in your new song, it gives a very confident look into the future of crushed hearts. Does this come from personal experience?

Well, I guess I’m still on the “crushed heart” side for now, I haven’t found “the one” yet. But yes, it absolutely comes from personal experience. I think it’s even harder to find love in the modern dating world. People treat each other like we’re disposable. It’s difficult to find depth. Or maybe it’s just that I’m entering the Sex And The City age! Anyways, I’m convinced there’s a perfect match on this planet for each one of us. So it’s just a matter of time now!

Q. When can we expect “The Club” to be released? And why have you said this EP is your most important yet?

The Club will come out in the fall. This EP is my most important yet because it is my artistic “rebirth”. Indeed I released a first EP in 2012 that I have since taken down from the internet. At the time, I needed to take time to sit at the studio and allow to evolve sonically. So The Club will be the first EP to be released since that break.

Q. Are you coming to the US (mainly NYC) anytime soon? We would love to have a dance party!

I’ll probably be back soon as I always have NYC withdrawals. I miss the 99c pizzas and the JMZ train. You know I have lived in NYC actually? Here’s a list of all the neighborhoods I have lived in in NYC: Lower East Side, East Village, South Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene (thank you Craigslist). Anyways, I’d love to have a dance party too!

Q. Looks like you love Snapchat. Any favorite filters? And thank you for taking the time out to show us a little bit about you <3

I really love Snapchat, it’s my favorite social media. My snapchat is iamcocovan by the way! Fave filter is the purplish one. I don’t know how to describe this filter, so I figured I’d make a very special exclusive Cocovan x Audiofemme snap just for you guys! See you soon in NYC!

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VIDEO PREMIERE: The Loom “Fire Makes”

The new video from The Loom‘s “Fire Makes” feels ominous. Set in a group self-help meeting, could be 12-steps, could be grief support, the band’s krautrock with a psych streak thunders through the metal folding chairs as individuals bang and stomp and express their own fiery pain. The video is about “embracing chaos for the existentially lost,” because what else is there to do with chaos but embrace it? It’s the only way to conquer the beast.

The Loom is Brooklyn’s own John Fanning (guitar, vocals), Lis Rubard (french horn, trumpet, keys, vocals), John Mosloskie (bass, vocals), and Mike Rasimas (drums). “Fire Makes” is off the their new album Here in the Deadlights. Watch the video for “Fire Makes” below.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Metacara “Hornets”

A forest. A girl dressed all in white. Lanterns swinging from trees, hovering like fireflies. These sound like the elements of a fairytale, but in the hands of Metacara, they’re the ingredients of something far more sinister.

Both Kyla Rae, the vocalist of the electronic outfit, and Vegas Gold, who provides beats and production, appear in Metacara’s video for “Hornets.” Kyla starts the video in a dreamy setting; she’s alone in a dark forest, walking among lights hanging eerily from the trees while she sings. But, foreboding synths hint the scene is actually a nightmare. Soon, the lightbulbs break, Kyla’s face contorts into a scream and back, and she’s joined by a group of dancers from the Pitt Hip-Hop Dance Crew. “Come with me to a dark place,” she beckons, as they surround her. Distorted echoes of her own voice and wobbling bass add to the dream-like feeling of the video. As she and the dancers weave between the swinging lights, Vegas watches from a distance.

The two met while Kyla attended the University of Pittsburgh, and Vegas asked her to contribute vocals to a few of his beats. Their combination of delicate, jazzy vocals and gloomy, heavy beats complemented each other well, creating a smooth, spacey sound that was also soulful. Last May, they recorded their EP, Stone Love. Check out the video for “Hornets” below.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Milán “DK6”

Austrian-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Maria Neckam is Milán, and we’re here to give a new meaning to Super Tuesday by premiering new music video. The closer Trump gets to securing that nomination, the more we need our artists to prepare for the revolution. The song, “DK6” is off Milán’s self-titled debut EP and was produced by Jim Orso (Holy Ghost!, Hot Chip etc.), so she’s bringing the A-game with this one. The video was directed by award-winning filmmaker Jen Wilmeth (Pride: the Series), and features dance choreography by Karen Niceley (Metropolitan Opera, Cirque de Soleil, Broadway’s The Color Purple).

The electro-pop star explained in an email to AudioFemme that “DK6” stands for “Devil King of the 6th Heaven.” The expression comes from SGI Buddhism philosophy, which Milán practices. “It’s a metaphor for the negativity that’s inherent in all life, that tries to prevent people/us from becoming happy,” said Milán. “The function of DK6 is to suck out your life force, take away your joy, confidence, conviction, strength – (as opposed to your Buddha nature, which is the most positive force.) So when DK6 is in the house, it means trouble!”

“Can’t you see that…you hold me back!” she sings. In one form or another, from a controlling boss to an abusive boyfriend, we’ve all experienced the vampiric DK6.

The video features Milán in her element on a classic Brooklyn rooftop, playing music, when the embodied DK6 casts a nasty spell on her. The singer is transported to a forest and must use music to survive. “The story is a metaphor of the inner battles we wage inside of us each day. The doubt and fears we have to win over, in order to believe in ourselves and the unlimited potential each one of us has,” Milán told AudioFemme in an email. “It’s about winning over darkness and claiming your right to be happy, just as you are.”

Check out the video below, and stay tuned for Milán’s new single and EP, produced by Pax Humana, later this month!

VIDEO PREMIERE: Samson The Truest “Afterall”

It’s a grey Thursday, but something new is shining through the clouds. The femmes are here to premiere Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sam Geller, known as Samson The Truest‘s new video for “Afterall” the day before his new album Come Back Shane is released. The video opens with a dichotomy of a grainy image of a bee emerging from a flower contrasting Samson‘s forthright vocals that calmly tell a tale of raging jealousy. With his long hair and relaxed Jesus sex appeal, we watch him linger in the park with a lady friend (Aerial East, who also contributes vocals to the song). Xan Aird joins them sonically on guitar. It’s shot like a family video, spliced with footage of waterfalls, delightfully freaky performers, and spooky drifting balloons. The video feels like a fragmented dream, waking up in a haze of memories and emotions.

To celebrate, join Samson at his album release show this Sunday night, October 4th at Against Nature at 159 Chrystie St in the Lower East Side. It’s also a lovely suit shop. See you then and watch “Afterall” below.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Kate Copeland “Breaking”

NYC-based orchestral pop artist, Kate Copeland, has slowly built a name for herself writing beautifully intricate vocal-driven tracks that showcase her background in composition as well as her wide range of influences, which span widely, from seminal folk icons, to classical behemoths like Stravinsky (adding to her cool-factor, Copeland also performs in a Seattle-based psych-rock band!!). Her debut album, Recollection Room, is due out on June 8th, and her lead single, “Breaking”, gives us a clear glimpse of what we have to look forward to from the full-length.

The Oberlin conservatory grad clearly possesses a strong sense for music theory, evident within “Breaking”‘s thoughtful arrangement, which includes twinkling piano and ukulele lines, and a slow, mooring cello on the low-end. The song builds up slowly, integrating more and more instrumentation, pulling the listener into the emotional crevices of Copeland’s songwriting until you feel as if you’re a part of the music itself.

The video, out today, depicts Copeland as a 50s-era, glammed-up, but viscerally lonely housewife, bereft yet still awaiting the return of someone or something that eludes her. Shot in black and white for the first minute or so, we see her slowly acquiring more color, as the song builds. Soon she’s removing the various accoutrement that lend to her image the appearance of perfection, as paint splatters across her face. We are shown the underbelly of a life that presents itself as tidy, but in reality is perhaps full of pain and anguish. Beautiful and complicated at once, Copeland narrates a motif I think we can all likely relate to. See for yourself, how the story culminates:

Keep your eyes out for Kate’s debut album, out June 8th. She’ll be performing in Seattle, at the Seattle Columbia City Theatre on June 7th for her album release show.

VIDEO PREMIERE: Boyfriend “UDONWANIT”

Boyfriend is back, and we’re all in trouble. Last May, she got down and dirty with an ode to digital stimulation, and the risqué rapstress has done it again. Teaming up with fellow New Orleans hornballs SexParty for “UDONWANIT,” the raucous bounce-tinged track taunts and tantalizes as only this pairing could.

This time around, Boyfriend’s shed some of her quirkiness for a little edge. Thudding beats and aggressive synths form the undulating backbone of the song, while vocals take on a gritty affect as verses alternate between Boyfriend and her bawdy pals. “SexParty typically has a punk edge to their music, and I was really excited about making something harsh, abrasive even,” Boyfriend says of the song. With the music itself echoing the antagonistic vibe of the lyrics, it was only natural they’d make a clip that matched.

“SexParty and I had this deal going where I’d direct their music videos and they’d produce my tracks. This is a glorious converging of those efforts,” Boyfriend explains, and the result is an Office Space homage with the feature-warping affects of Soundgarden’s iconic “Black Hole Sun” video. “I wanted the video to be visually assaulting, bright – as if we’d just quit our day jobs and headed off to exact revenge on these defunct machines that had us trapped. ‘UDONWANIT’ is an exercise in office catharsis.”

The video was edited by Caitlin Richard, whom Boyfriend has known since middle school. “We’ve been getting together and making weird videos ever since we got our periods,” she says. The track is the first from an EP slated for release sometime this fall, and Boyfriend will be taking the new material out on the road when she tours the Southeast in mid-November. In addition to more production from SexParty, the EP will feature a guest appearance from Phoenix metal-drummer-turned-female-rapper Miny.

Check out the video below, premiering exclusively on AudioFemme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh_sEoj1JpI&feature=youtu.be

Tag: Video Premiere