In our video round up this week we have more up and coming talent than you can poke a stick at. So much so that it would be remiss not to pull up a chair in front of your laptop and get lost in this stellar selection of clips for a while. Not to mention, majority of these gems come from some of our favourite Australian acts of the moment. Get behind them and get clicking below.
Gussy – Looking at Myself
A slow languid drawl propped against a gender transcendent figure pirouetting in a black room, pensive and introspective, harnessing an undercurrent of aching that seems to be contained just beneath the surface but never quite breaks through. Such are the feels of Sydney based artist Gussy’s self produced and directed single Looking at Myself. The hypnotic track deconstructs normative ideas of gender and sexuality, while exploring the existentialism of a modern break up. It is just the beginning for these chiseled cheekbones and we look forward to hearing a lot more.
You check Gussy out in the flesh at Heaps Gay x VIVID at the Factory Theatre on June 12th, or at Oscar Key Sung’s Single Launch at Plan B, June 24th
City Calm Down – Border on Control
The latest single from City Calm Down’s acclaimed debut In A Restless House continues the anthemic and synth driven throwback sound that has propelled the band to such great heights in recent times. In the accompanying video, the metronomic drumbeat falls in time with the scene of a geriatric table tennis match, with the seemingly endless rally meditative in its repetition. The game provides an apt metaphor to accompany the themes of stagnation sung in Jack Bourke’s signature baritone vocals. The clip is not only a notable showcase of this rising act, but also of A-grade table tennis at its very best. One way or another, you will be impressed.
Coops – Frankincense & Myrhh
UK rapper Coops has just this week released his debut LP God Complex with a gritty black and white video to accompany single Frankincense & Myrrh. The track was produced by up and comer Ollie Twist, and has a moody antique vibe aided by jazz sampling and pensive lyricism. The clip, directed by Chas Appeti, builds on these themes with scratchy transitions and noir shadows at every turn. Coops provides some stellar verses and if this offering is anything to go by, the LP has lots of promise.
Alex Cameron – Take Care of Business
Sydney’s Alex Cameron has given us a taste of his upcoming album Jumping The Shark with a surreal, mesmerising clip for single Take Care of Business. At a time when a plethora of videos released are self-describing their aesthetic as obscure or Lynchian, while kind of missing the mark, this one actually achieves the label. With Cameron’s surreal, aged performance invoking avant-garde eeriness in a remarkably endearing way, Cameron’s onstage writhing and droning vocals are reminiscent of a Birthday Party-era Nick Cave in slow motion. The introduction of keys and an increase in tempo around the three minute mark is an unexpected joyous injection, making this already loveable track all the more so. You can pre-order the album due out August 19th here.
Third Floor – Falling
The luscious beats of Third Floor’s Falling provide a palette of sounds to paint with, the accompanying clip bringing them to life with explosive movement. Figures contort in dance against a black backdrop with 3am nightclub vigor as the track ebbs and flows through the grooves. This is the last of four clips in the cinematic Dream State EP story arc, so if you want to enjoy the full experience, make sure to check out the first three instalments here.
Venus II – Inside Your Sun
You might have never heard of upcoming act Venus II, but the duo that make up the band are no newcomers. Jarrad Brown (Eagle & The Worm / Dorsal Fins) and Ryan Grieve (Canyons) manage to create a fusion of layers that sounds like the perfectly combined sum of their parts, and the results are wondrous. The sundrenched infectious hooks remind me of that time when Midnight Jugganauts released 44 and Rising and I had it stuck in my head for months, driving me blissfully insane. Check out the clip, shake off the winter blues, and get psychedelic. It doesn’t get much better.
Banoffee – I’m Not Sorry
Banoffee makes no apologies with her latest clip, a track she says is: “a push back to all the things we’ve been told so many times we now tell them to ourselves. Woman are brought up bound and gagged in shame for being different, for giving a shit, for being ambitious—all because we’re powerful. We can’t be accused of black magic anymore, but it’s so entrenched we’re now killing ourselves to try and mentally survive. I guess I’m saying I’m done saying sorry.” It’s a strong statement with strong imagery to match from a genre defying and promising young artist.
Homeboy Sandman – Eyes
Still fresh after the release of wonderful album Kindness For Weakness and subsequent videos for Nonbelievers and Talking (Bleep), comes the Stones Throw rapper’s new video for Eyes. The first thing to note is how vastly different each of his videos is stylistically. This one, directed by Pace Rivers, sees the rapper tell a spooky story, with the narrator at home – in the bath, with a woman, on the couch – spliced between ominous outdoor scenes where you see him followed and spied on at every turn. The motif of the eye carries throughout each character, scene and scenery, while the clip grows more paranoid, surreal and suspenseful as it progresses.
Image: Venus II