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Gritty yet glittery: Watch Alexi’s new video, filmed in an abandoned skyscraper

Up-and-coming Sydney hip-hop artist Alexi is no stranger to urban exploration, as proven in this video for his latest single Death of a Friend of a Friend. The bleak clip was shot with director Marshall Whitlock in an abandoned Bangkok skyscraper, and the video’s aesthetic is gritty and glittering all at once; in fact, it’s almost reminiscent of the neo-noir quality of films like Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Only God Forgives (set in the same location and which itself features a stunning soundtrack). The result is a video that’s both laid back and sleek, evoking an atmosphere of youthful freedom and reckless abandon. Whitlock captures it perfectly, through shots of Alexi dancing through empty concrete corridors and on an open balcony, interspersed with montages of the flickering Bangkok skyline.

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It’s a real reflection of the song itself, which features Alexi’s lament on modernity – “hashtag your happiness and your Instagram that you play God” – underscored by a unique beat that we can only describe as wispy, and vaguely inspired by the Asian influences of his surroundings. If this is our first taste of Alexi’s work, we can’t wait to see more. Check out the video below, and get excited about this talented, rising star.