Video Review – Audiofemme

VIDEO REVIEW: Dream Nails “Jillian”

This year, Girls Rock Santa Barbara has developed The Summer of Love Internship, its first ever paid internship for teen girls and gender-expansive youth, which allows the organization to continue to provide a safe, collaborative environment in which to encourage lifelong skills like positive peer bonding and self-confident resilience. The internship, which lasts six weeks and pays each intern $500, offers six exciting and arts-focused disciplines: Record Label, Recording Artist, Social Media, Journalism, Photography, and Podcasting. Audiofemme is pleased to publish the following review, written by Andrea Li, an intern from the Journalism program.

Dream Nails first released “Jillian” as a single from their 2019 album Take Up Space!. Now, the UK pop-punk band has taken the older, more bare-bones version of it and polished it into a groovy song with an equally groovy video directed by Guen Morroni. “Jillian” will be a part of the band’s upcoming album, Dream Nails, set to be released on August 28, 2020.

The song starts with a punchy bassline layered under lead singer Janey Starling’s energetic vocals. Soon, a guitar riff and a fast-paced drumbeat are added, with the video showing people of all sizes doing exercises in various locations as Starling proclaims “I’ve got 500-pound people doing jumping jacks!”

“‘Jillian’ is a joyous banger about coming out, body positivity & [having a crush on] queer fitness icon Jillian Michaels,” Dream Nails explained in a press release, and the video clearly conveys this message as numerous people, including the band, appear joyfully working out, sometimes in an almost comical fashion. The video also expresses a message of liberation, as Dream Nails makes sure to use clips of people working out as if they don’t care about getting fit and have learned to just love themselves and their bodies for what they are. “Jillian” is a power anthem that inspires and uplifts – and it also doesn’t hurt that it’s perfect to work out to.

Follow Dream Nails on Facebook for ongoing updates.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Surfbort “Les Be In Love” & More

Dani Miller and her band of no-fucks-given cohorts make up the Brooklyn based punk band Surfbort. The band has quickly captured the hearts of the musically saturated Brooklyn borough, with their energetic live shows and their quirky take on punk tradtion. “Les Be In Love” is a single off Surfbort’s first EP, released with Cult Records.

Originally released on February 14th, the single is a reminder not to give love just one day a year. Miller says of the song “‘Les Be in Love’ is our anthem, a call to arms to begin the love revolution. It reminds us that love, humor, magic, and the human sitting next to you are the only antidote to the capitalist hellscape.”

The video is Surfbort’s “letter” to the love gods to end our society’s capitalist agenda and allow all to flourish in the state of love. It’s their statement to bring a little more art, friendship, music and love back into a world where idealism is often replaced by corporate greed.

Miller herself plays cupid in the video, and instead of infecting people with romance, her arrows corrupt people with a true sense of weirdness. The magic arrows take these greedsters out of their corporate suits and flashes them into a colorful world of eccentric weirdos – the world in which the members of Surfbort clearly spend most of their time.

In the video we get a chance to imagine a reality where a bunch of flying weirdos are able to transform anyone into the true super freaks that might be living beneath the suit and tie.

From their humble living room beginnings, to their debut album, the musical trajectory of this sister act has been unique. “The Kids Are Alright Film” is a medley of songs off their debut album, released on March 23rd by Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment label.

Gretta Kline, aka Frankie Cosmos, is deeply vulnerable about the sensations of heartache and and feeling invisible in her latest single “Jesse.” Her album Vessel is slated for release on March 30th.

From Ivy Lab, a London based electronic music group, the music video for their recent release “Cake” is a visual feast. Figures glide through shadows, choreographed by Brooklyn-based dancer Justin Conte, to glitch heavy bass.

Wye Oak’s most recent release “Lifer” is an intimate recognition of the privilege Jenn Wasner sees in her own life and has simultaneously felt uncomfortable with. The visuals are simple, drawing more attention to her words. The song “Lifer” is from their album The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs, which is due on April 6th.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Lion Babe “Honey Dew” & More

Musical duo Lion Babe, featuring singer Jillian Hervey and record producer Lucas Goodman, always impress when it comes to their video creations. The video for their latest single “Honey Dew” is no different. Expressing the parallels between art and nature, the two R&B creators meander through a sculpture garden. Adorned in fantastically elaborate clothing, Hervey becomes her own version of moving art as she dances through the large stone pieces.

Known more for their urban-inspired motifs, the video for “Honey Dew” is a softer rendition of the duo’s aesthetic than we have previously seen. While Hervey repeats the words “everybody wants a piece,” the visuals and up the song’s implicit innuendo with shots of honey drizzled over a sliced melon.

The Australian rocker’s Star Trek-indebted spoof gives us a glimpse of her upcoming sophomore album Tell Me How You Really Feel, out May 18.

Vocalist Aaron Maine dons a Canadian tuxedo and takes a reverse dive into the churning waves for the Baba Stiltz and Samo’s clubby rework of “Find Me;” the original version appears on Porches’ latest LP The House.

Preoccupations’ latest record, New Material, just dropped this week, and along with it came a collaged clip for dream-poppy new single “Disarray.”

Soul Train fans will love the throwback visual for Migos’ latest, which stars Jamie Foxx in a cameo as host Ron Delirious.

VIDEO REVIEW: Janelle Monae “Make Me Feel”

Janelle Monae has spent her artistic career being inspired by the free. Monae’s creative influences stem from the greats who came before, like Prince and Bowie. Her latest video “Make Me Feel” is an honest nod to those who inspired a space for artists like Monae to be their own version of free. In this latest rendition of her craft Monae finds a new sense of vulnerability, bringing the past with her into the future.

Dirty Computer will be the first album Monae has released in five years. Slated for release April 27, 2018 by Wondaland Arts Society, Epic Records and Sony Music, it will also be her first album since Prince’s death. Prince was a mentor to Monae and was featured on her last album Electric Lady. The video “Make Me Feel” is a respectful reference to Prince’s famous video and song “Kiss.”

Throughout the video Monae ignites an exciting, courageous, and fresh statement on what the strength of a sexually liberated woman can look like. From being seen braless, with see-through pants, to crawling through legs of women in a skin tight leotard, Monae engages a body positive perspective of herself and the women around her.

The story of the video follows Monae caught up in a love triangle between a man and a woman. Utilizing this sexually fluid imagery, the song becomes an anthem for those who relate to the bi-sexual experience.

While her new representation of herself and her sexuality are genuine and inspiring, the moments that strike me the most in the video are not the tug of war between her two lovers. Instead I’m drawn to her own fierce sense of self love, an act which can, in and of itself, be an act of resistance and freedom. As an artist and activist Monae’s new video is an ode to how much one can champion in the simple act of being their own free selves.

VIDEO REVIEW: Alice Phoebe Lou “She”

Alice Phoebe Lou had me at “She.” She caught my ear at the end of last summer, and was quickly anchored into my permanent collection of artists whom I play on endless loops to make long bike rides through the city a little more enjoyable, her light and fierce vocals scattered over my summer memories.

I stumbled upon Lou on one of those YouTube rabbit holes that sometimes leads nowhere, not realizing then that the simple video for “She,” a montage of Lou playing live at various venues, would stoke a new obsession, filling the essence of silence in my August haze. The song starts out with a long echo chamber like resonance of the word “She” that stretches through a variation of tonalities. That first word had me hooked.

As the song crescendos, the lyrics go on to describe a young girl looking for a place in a world that seems to be falling apart, and having a sense of needing to escape. The “She” Lou refers to is on a journey, leaving society and fear behind to find herself on the other side of the fence in search of a better world. Most of Lou’s work focuses on the idea of breaking away from societal molds; her lyrics ponder the effects our societal habits have on the Earth, the individual, and the creative and fierce spirit we all have inside us, but often forget to fuel.

Lou herself has spent her creative career fighting these structures she so often denounces in her music. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Lou came up on the outskirts of the music industry, busking around Berlin after graduating high school. She found her voice on the streets and her followers in city squares, and though she’s found a larger audience since, with offers from major labels, acclaimed SXSW performances, and sold-out shows across Europe, she has continued giving street performances and independently released two EPs and two full length albums.

Lou hasn’t been held back by her decision to maintain her presence as a fiercely independent artist. The song “She” was featured in Bombshell, a documentary about Hollywood starlet and genius inventor Hedy Lamarr. Because of its inclusion in the film, it was shortlisted for an Academy Award in December; though it didn’t make the final cut for nominations, the announcement was followed by the news that Lou would be re-releasing the song with a new video.

Her second video rendition of “She,” directed by photographer and filmmaker Natalia Bazina, was released on February 23rd. Lou says of the video that “the repetitive lyrics have a sense of powerful femininity behind them, inspired by women who go against the prescribed boundaries and pave the way for other women to be empowered and realize their strengths.”

The video is as ethereal as the song itself and sets bodies in a pool swimming amongst a dark black background, their forms seemingly moving in space. The element of water keeps the song alive with feminine references, and the contrasted bodies build up a sense of the depth, darkness, and light between the contours of the female form. The video is a delicate glimpse into yet another version of the female gaze, a beautifully woven tapestry of images that ignite sensations of freedom, fear, entrapment, struggle, and breaking free.

Lou’s trajectory into music has been a surprising one. As more of what she offers in her musical field comes to life, I feel we will continue to have her passionate music be the backdrop for our ordinary existence.

VIDEO REVIEW: Kat Cunning “Wild Poppies”

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…” These words bring us back to the childhood story we know so well – they conjure an image of Dorothy deciding to leave the magical place she’s just discovered, tapping her ruby red slippers in the hope of returning over the rainbow to rejoin the dull black and white society she came from.

Artist Kat Cunning has found her own version of the colorful and magical Oz in the queer community of New York. Her latest video and single “Wild Poppies” is a tribute to this playful world and what that journey has felt like. Known for her work in the visual arts, Cunning has also been a singer and dancer in shows like Sleep No More and Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour. She is one of those rare talents who has the ability to translate her vision into a variety of mediums, all while staying true to her authentic self. “Wild Poppies” is Cunning’s video debut; the single was initially released late last year. Premiering on January 30th, the visual clip unites her various passions of dance, theater and music, giving her admirers the chance to watch them all come together at once.

In a studio session with Paste Magazine Kat Cunning explained that “music… feels like the place where everything that I do actually can live together. I’m inspired to create the world where the beautiful things I see get to live.” The video brings this sentiment home, given that Cunning wrote the song, choreographed the dance, and helped with costume and makeup design. She truly is creating her own world in which all her friends can play.

Story is the uniting force in the “Wild Poppies” video, which depicts, through graceful movement, a person coming to find themselves and opening up to a new version of who they are. Her lyrics reference cyclones, ruby shoes, and emerald eyes as she dares listeners to chase her “over the ledge,” hinting that this is the only place to truly find yourself and your bliss.

The tonality of her vocals come from a place I can only perceive as the soul, as her deep, almost haunting voice adds weight to the familiar story. Early on, Cunning was inspired by jazz musicians in the scene where she first started dancing after moving to New York. Her music fuses this influence with a love of pop, and a Brooklynite’s healthy taste in indie music. She is both hypnotic and seductive, creating a painting with her vocals that dance across the spectrum of the musical scale.

In an interview with Refinery29, Cunning tied together how The Wizard of Oz impacted the creation of “Wild Poppies.” “[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Dorothy] has so many adventures,” says Cunning, “and for me that story is akin to finding your community of people and particularly a colorful queer world full of beautiful freaks.”

Diving head first into the colorful world she is creating, it doesn’t seem Cunning will be clicking her ruby red slippers any time soon.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

PLAYING DETROIT: Anna Burch Releases Video for “Tea-Soaked Letter”

Detroit’s latest indie-pop sweetheart, Anna Burch, just released the music video for her single “Tea-Soaked Letter” along with the announcement that her debut album Quit the Curse will be available on February 2nd, 2018. It’s hard not to be charmed by Burch as she tackles relatable topics like loneliness and poor communication with sunny guitar, burnt toast, and lots of sad balloons. The video is a perfect match for the song’s melancholy-yet-upbeat demeanor, an oxymoron that Burch seems to have mastered.

Falling under the genre Burch coins as “bummer pop,” the song mixes catchy chord progressions found in conventional pop music with candid lyricism that hits close to home. In “Tea-Soaked Letter” the songwriter laments the fruitless game-playing found in many (millennial) relationships. Burch sings, “No you can’t come up/Who am I kidding? I would drag you up,” finally giving up the hard-to-get approach and saying what she actually feels. Whether you need to muster up the courage to say what you really mean or cathartically sing along while continuing to play the game, “Tea-Soaked Letter” is a solid go-to.

Watch the full video below.

VIDEO REVIEW: Psymon Spine “Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels”

The last video from eclectic Brooklyn band Psymon Spine was full of dancing bodies and dizzying effects, enough to warrant a seizure warning (check out “Yoana” here, if you dare). The star of Psymon Spine’s latest video, however, is not a person, but a blank canvas. As “Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels” develops, splashes of paint appear and disappear, gradually building a world of color.

The video was created by artist Erin Barry, who also did the cover art for Pysmon Spine’s upcoming debut album, You Are Coming To My Birthday. Her stop-motion visuals fit the music so perfectly that out of context it could, at times, be hard to tell which came first.

Though the band incorporates lots of electronic elements into their unique psych-pop sound, there’s something about “Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels” that seems very connected to nature. Synths are certainly present, but act as a burst of sunlight rather than a call to dance in the dark. A pulsing heartbeat runs through the track, connecting the various melodies and influences woven in. Barry’s chosen medium only adds to the natural theme; as the light catches wet paint, it looks like the shiny surface of a rock. Colors run and spill like a river, while you’ll swear you can hear the chatter of a creek somewhere in the background of the track. The beat opens up to a simple, singsong melody, and contrasted with splashes of watercolor it brings up powerful nostalgia, a reminder of an almost forgotten childhood. Whether you’re watching, listening, or both, you’ll feel something unexpected.

You Are Coming To My Birthday is out June 9th via Axis Mundi Records. Watch the video for “Eric’s Basement & Secret Tunnels” below.

VIDEO REVIEW: Saint Motel “Move”

Los Angeles-based indie rockers Saint Motel just released a remix for their single “Move,” and Jenaux’s high-energy rework seems like the perfect excuse to revisit the band’s big-budget video for the original. A play on the glitchy aesthetics of of their record, Saintmotelevision, the video is set in a 1960s-era newsroom struggling with its ratings. The band is called in to stoke viewership, but accidental fire and destruction is the only thing that can finally send those rating skyrocketing.

The video’s sharp, perfectly-timed transitions match the song’s upbeat bursts of energy, while the Sixties motif highlights the band’s retro grooves. With such fiery beats, it’s no wonder the band winds up engulfed in flames.

You can stream Saintmotelevision now on Spotify, watch the video below, and download the remix via the band’s website.

VIDEO REVIEW: Moon Bounce “Drugs”

Unsurprisingly, Moon Bounce’s video for the single “Drugs” is as trippy as its title suggests. Spoofing terrible album art from Wayne Cochran, Grace Jones, Prince, and more, the titillating track takes listeners on a tongue-in-cheek waltz through the aisles of a record store that would make any collector’s head spin.

The campy video seems like it easily could’ve come from the goofy fellas who brought us Flight of the Conchords, an effect heightened by Moon Bounce frontman Corey Regensberg’s groovy falsetto. Here, he plays a hapless crate-digger, as well as the over-the-top characters that come to life on each album cover and sing to him. Perhaps this is an endorsement for taking drugs while vinyl shopping, or perhaps a cautionary tale against it. Regardless of your interpretation, the video is fun and the synth-pop melodies are completely addictive.

Moon Bounce is gearing up to release a new album, Clean House, in March. Mark your calendars now, folks, because it’s sure to be a good one.

PLAYING DETROIT: Stef Chura “Spotted Gold”

Quickly rising as Detroit’s DIY pensive pop priestess, Stef Chura and her captivatingly peculiar lo-fi sensibilities shine and burn playfully in her latest video for “Spotted Gold,” the third single from her debut album Messes due out January 27. Chura’s candy-colored, battery acid coated disharmonious world beckons late 90’s MTV feels complete with pop-star commercialization and her signature voice, which teeters between collapse and eruption, finds its visual counterpart in “Spotted Gold.” The colors change quickly like the tuning of an old television set as does the wardrobes of Chura and her bandmates as if to But the most strikingly unsettling element is the montage of

The colors change quickly like the tuning of an old television set as does the wardrobes of Chura and her bandmates. But the most striking element is the montage of rapid-fire imagery depicting activities that are considered taboo (smashing a mirror) and bad judgment calls (pouring milk on a laptop) to completely self-destructive behaviors (drinking poison and playing finger/knife roulette) all of which end as badly as one might imagine. The aesthetic is clean, perhaps even sterile, but in Chura’s sugary torment, is messily sincere. It’s easy to interpret “Spotted Gold” as a mischievous night out or miscalculated reckless relationship but the lyrics: “Spotted gold turned black and blue” reveal that perhaps Chura’s sand-in-the-eyes, hand-on-the-stove universe is less of a lark than it is a tale of emotional masochism and that when a good thing goes bad, well, maybe we are more in control than we think.

No, your toaster doesn’t need a bath. Keep tinfoil out of your microwave and check out Stef Chura’s series of unfortunate events in “Spotted Gold” below:

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

VIDEO REVIEW: Blood Orange “Better than Me”

Starting with a slam poem and full of choreographed dancing, Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes may have figured out a great recipe for directing a captivating music video with his clip for “Better than Me.”

Its poem accompaniment (Ashlee Haze’s “For Colored Girls [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][The Missy Elliot Poem]”) immediately brings up the bitterness of envy and the insecurity that often follows. The dancers, led by Hynes, are lost in their world – and if, like me, you’re a sucker for great choreography, then you’re probably equally immersed. The tinkling synths and rushed, whispery vocals from Hynes and featured artist Carly Rae Jepsen give it an ominous backing reflected by the warehouse dance scene.

“Better than Me” comes from Blood Orange’s latest album Freetown Sound, which dropped at the end of June.

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PLAYING DETROIT: Fred Thomas “Voiceover”

Fred Thomas has a lot of feelings (and he really wants to talk about them). He may fear transformation in the same way he might fear another perturbed thought of how he could have prevented a previous love affair from going to pieces. He may relish in the scratching of the many surfaces that camouflage and protect his tender, gooey existential crisis-inflamed interiors. But what is made clear by Fred Thomas’ latest beautifully neurotic mind-mapping narration “Voiceover” (the first taste from his forthcoming record Changer due out later next month) is that he doesn’t quite have it all figured out and if he did, well, he might not know what to do.

“Voiceover” is a sleepless, chorus-deprived and worrisome dashboard “check engine” light. Self-deprecatingly confrontational, this pared back rock jam feels like a tightly woven string of doubts that overcame by means of emotional overload. The video is a life on loop. Repetitive thoughts are mirrored with commonly overlooked/performed imagery. From lipstick application (and lipstick removal) to uncorking wine, and to book to bookshelf placement to the subtle beauty of gently falling hemlines against the back of kneecaps, what is captured visually here is the same crisp mundanity expressed in Thomas’ artfully composed run-on sentences.

View Fred Thomas’ latest GIF-like emotional exploit below:

NEWS ROUNDUP: Beyonce, Angel Olsen, and Anohni

Beyonce Teams Up With The Dixie Chicks

The country group and pop star performed “Daddy Lessons” at the Country Music Awards with a full band in an impressive performance, but one that didn’t come without controversy: The CMA was accused of removing any mentions of the performance from its social media, some racist country fans left a bunch of unsavory comments regarding Beyonce’s anti-police associations from Lemonade, and people are still mad at the Dixie Chicks for insulting George Bush in 2003. Whatever, guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OabYYlhuxxE

Anohni’s “Hopelessness” Gets Visuals

“How did I become a virus?” The surreal video, which accompanies the title track of Ahnohni’s May 2016 album, features a businesswoman walking through dream-like scenes where she confronts her connection to and impact on nature. Eventually, she retreats to the safety of technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZW1BBkquFA

Angel Olsen Performed With The Raincoats

Clad in matching striped shirts, this collaboration celebrated Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary at Islington Assembly Hall in London. Check out their performance of “High And Wild.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23f9hmY4Hhk

Haybaby Release Video For “Yours”

Released yesterday via Tiny Engines, the video is an unsettling up-close shot of singer Leslie Hong as she struggles to find her own space in a room full of strangers, flinching at their touch. The song itself is blistering and raw, a must-listen. Check it out on Bandcamp, where you can name your price for the single.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Ben Talmi “Play”

Lyric videos aren’t always the most captivating or memorable, but Ben Talmi’s video for “Play” is one that’ll entertain and impress. On top of that, it’s an overall fun, catchy song that’ll be sure to get stuck in your head.

The video follows an artist creating the same image over and over: a series of straight lines meeting at a central point. It gives viewers the feeling of looking at a sun setting or rising on a horizon, creating depth and dimension to the flat surface. Throughout the video, these lines flicker and waver alongside the upbeat music, disappearing or multiplying in accordance with the tempos. While this happens, the words also seem to play with the music, twisting and turning as the vocals increase and decrease in pitch.

“Play” plays with your mind and engages you in the way we wish more lyric videos would.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Infinity Shred “Choir VI”

At first, you might think the video for Infinity Shred’s single “Choir VI” is a video game demo or a preview of an upcoming trippy movie. It pulls you in with its fascinating 3-D graphics and captures your entire attention, to the point that you won’t even realize that it’s been three minutes since you began watching it. The entire track tells a story of wonderment and intrigue, as you follow an adventurous skateboarder into a church in the woods where he has an ethereal experience as he warps and twists and floats away after skating around a bit. The song features chills-inducing drums by Clara Warnaar and entrancing synths, all of which work together to create this piece full of nostalgia and innocence. It’s the first single off Infinity Shred’s upcoming full-length Long Distance, which is due out on October 14.

VIDEO REVIEW: Kids of the Apocalypse “Better Life”

There isn’t enough thought put into what happens to the children once the apocalypse hits (step up your game, The Walking Dead), but Kids of the Apocalypse took the idea and ran with it, particularly in the video for their single “Better Life.” There’s symbolism for a world run by capitalism, it addresses love in an apocalyptic way, oh, and it also features astounding Gorillaz-esque graphics. It’s a chill rap song full of melodies and gloom with the cartoons to match that mood, the brain child of producer/musician Stefan Storm and animator Ernest Desumbila.

Sit back and watch this fascinating video—it’ll disturb you a bit, but it’ll also definitely resonate in a way that’ll have you wanting to watch it over and over again.

VIDEO REVIEW: Marissa Nadler “Janie In Love”

Though the message comes in the form of a lush song, Marissa Nadler shows the dark side of love in the video she directed and animated for her song “Janie In Love.”

Nadler turns the concept of love into an unnatural force, one that breaks its target into pieces. “You’re a natural disaster,” she croons. “You touch and the earth will crumble/ You speak and hurricanes attack.” The black and white video includes stop-motion footage that is both beautiful and unnerving: a winged doll with its parts scattered across the ground, faces of sand and dirt that appear and dissolve, a snake-like creature made of clay that pulses and changes shape. We see clips of the singer walking in a desolate forest, but her face is mostly obscured by shadows, or blocked by her arms. Animated leaves fall and collect at the bottom of the screen, and the video ends with snow falling in the forest. The love referenced in “Janie In Love” does not end with flowers blossoming or the sun shining, but cold and darkness, making her message clear: This love was doomed from the beginning.

Marissa Nadler’s Strangers is out now via Sacred Bones. Order the album here and listen to “Janie In Love” below.

Catch her on her North American tour, dates below:

July 8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^* (tickets)

July 9 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake Lounge ^* (tickets)

July 10 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge ^* (tickets)

July 11 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry ^* (tickets)

July 12 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle ^* (tickets)

July 13 – Detroit, MI – El Club ^* (tickets)

July 14 – Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel ^* (tickets)

July 15 – Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa ^* (tickets)

July 16 – Hudson, NY – The Half Moon ^*

July 19 – Boston, MA – Great Scott ^* (tickets)

July 20 – Providence, RI – Aurora ^* (tickets)

July 21 – NYC – Bowery Ballroom ^* (tickets)

July 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s ^* (tickets)

July 24 – Washington, D.C. – DC9 ^* (tickets)

July 25 – Raleigh, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room

July 26 – Atlanta, GA – The EARL ^* (tickets)

July 27 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa ^* (tickets)

July 29 – Austin, TX – The Sidewinder ^* (tickets)

July 30 – Dallas, TX – DADA ^* (tickets)

August 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar ^* (tickets)

August 2 – San Diego, CA – Casbah ^* (tickets)

August 3 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo ^* (tickets)

August 4 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel ^* (tickets)

August 5 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Library ^* (tickets)

August 7 – Vancouver, BC – Cobalt ^* (tickets)

August 8 – Seattle, WA – Barbosa ^* (tickets)

PLAYING DETROIT: Bevlove “Do What I Say”

In today’s world, all you need is Bevlove.

Beverly Johnson is Bevlove, Detroit‘s premier pop goddess. She writes. She sings. She’s changing the game. Produced by SYBLYNG and Assemble Sound and directed by Detroit visual wonder-kids The Right Brothers, “Do What I Say” dropped last night at midnight. Relevant both conceptually and sonically, the track proves that Bevlove is more than a breakthrough, she’s a wrecking ball.

“DWIS” acts as a seductive instructional and a warning for future lovers, victims and anyone who dare take on Bevlove on the streets or in the sheets. “DWIS” could easily be the sequel to Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have my Money” and the video could be the more sinister, less PG sister to rival girl-gang in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” The video features some of Detroit’s favorite bad girls following behind leading lady Love with torches and man eating scowls, ready to attack. Flashing to smokey dance scenes and the ultimate pink confetti girl party. Where “DWIS” bares its visual duality is when we see Bevlove in bed with white feathers floating around her lingerie clad angel self, making us believe she is to be trusted. But we know better. Bevlove uses her vocals as a Trojan horse, delivering the lyrics “Such a fucking lady/tonight I’m going to take control.” Her voice breaks into another stratosphere, departing from her hardened hip-hop cadence to reveal ethereal tones and a richness that Beyoncé herself would envy. The song is perfectly crafted with everything that makes a song raunchy yet radio ready and impossible to shake from your head. The catchy hook, the bass beat and choppy hip-hop delivery is current enough to blend in and original enough to set its own precedent for badass-ery. The video celebrates women and flips the script on sex, desire and not taking shit. Bevlove is a great reminder of why you should get you a girl that can do both.

Watch “Do What I Say” here. Listen to the track below.

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VIDEO REVIEW: Ryan Egan “Finest Hour”

Ryan Egan’s new video for his single “Finest Hour” showcases some groovy dance moves, hypnotizing falsetto vocals, and an overall air of mystery.

The video sees Egan decked out in a white turtleneck showing off simple yet perfected dance moves. Once the chorus hits, some shadowy background figures shimmy out from behind him and bust into their own more fluid moves. It’s the perfect contrast between black vs. white, light vs. shadow, simplistic vs. ornate. And Egan’s airy falsetto only reinforces the video as a mysterious yet enticing piece.

The New York songwriter will be playing a show at Rough Trade on June 16 with Coast Modern. Make sure you check out the video below before catching him in person!

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 OF THE WEEK: The Saint Johns “Lost the Feeling”

You can pretty much tell The Saint Johns vibe well together once the first guitar chord is struck in “Lost the Feeling,” and this is just further confirmed when you hear the way their voices swirl together in perfect harmony. Upbeat yet ethereal vocals come from singer Jordan Meredith while Louis Johnson provides a more savory sound as well as crisp guitar riffs—like I said, they really just complement one another so well. Their newly released official video for “Lost the Feeling” starts off a bit reminiscent of “Spring Breakers,” the rush and excitement of a successful robbery fresh in the air as the Americana duo plays in what appears to be a small town bar. Tension mounts and ultimately dispels, following the ebbs and flows of the song just perfectly. It’s the type of track you want to know the words to immediately so you can sing along to it—maybe a bit loudly, but who’s judging?—in the privacy of your bedroom.

Luckily The Saint Johns are currently touring, so you have the chance to watch their dynamism live. And for those of you who are also in the New York area, maybe I’ll catch you at their show at Gramercy Theatre on March 31.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Monogold “Pink Lemonade”

The boys of Monogold are in with the perfect fuel for that little dance party we all find ourselves needing this week, a new pop culture-infused music video for “Pink Lemonade.”

The sugar-sweet single was released this past summer ahead of the September release of their album Good Heavens, which bears little resemblance to the trio’s previous synth-infused records. They’ve taken a more stripped down approach this time around. This must be what it was like to listen to The Zombies on the beach in the ’60s.

Check out the video below:

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Cassandra Violet “Lady”

Folk pop singer Cassandra Violet came out with a new music video for the track “Lady” from her upcoming Body & Mind EP, to be released this coming January.

Inspired by the infamous cat-calling video documenting the verbal and sexual harassment we femmes in the city know all too well, Violet portrays a young woman helpless to the control of a male cult leader. While the period garb, desolate backdrop, and hazy effects might set the video in the past, when the two sisters escape the oppression of the cult leader, they overlook a modern city, fearful of what awaits them.

Thus, the story hauntingly answers the question of what it’s like to be a woman in society, even to this day.

Violet’s vocal prowess is reminiscent of folk pioneer (and fellow blunt-banged beauty) Joni Mitchell, with her effortless command of the drum-powered build up that helps drive the narrative through.

Check out the video here:

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Tag: Video Review