VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Mitski “Nobody” & More

Mitski has been on a rocketing career path over the past few years, and is set to release her sophomore album Be The Cowboy on August 17th. We’ve only seen a few glimpses into this record so far – via videos for her singles “Geyser” and now, “Nobody” – but it seems as though Mitski’s been thinking deeply about the affect of critical acclaim on her work as an artist and her well-being as an individual.

While the video’s bright colors and cartoonish surrealism make for a playful characterization of Mitski’s introspective lyrics, the underlining theme here is being alone. “Nobody” dramatically outlines that sensation of reaching for something that you might never find outside of the confines of your desires, yet somehow still entertains with a singular sense of kitsch.

Though Paramour released their fifth studio album After Laughter in 2017, they’ve just released a video for “Caught In The Middle.” The visuals are an aesthetic counterpart to their new wave musical style, full of ’80s-inspired graphics and throwbacks to the days of lo-fi digital art.

Through her work as a filmmaker and performer, LaToya Jane aims to inspire youth to give up gang violence in favor of pursuing the arts. In 2014, LaToya won the award for Best Director at the Commffest Film Festival for Creature, a documentary about her time as a gang member in Toronto. She’s back with a poignant video for her single “Everything,” which mirrors her childhood growing up in Toronto’s infamous Jane and Finch neighborhood, from which she takes her stage name. The single comes from her debut EP GROWN, released last fall.

Sylvan Esso has just announced their summer tour. Alongside the announcement comes a candid video made up of moments from their previous tours, set to their single “Signal.”

Young sisters Chloe and Halle have shown their broad range of musical motion on stunning debut The Kids Are Alright. “Happy Without Me” – featuring another rising hip-hop star,  Joey Bada$$ – is a slow R&B tune which the two grade with their ethereal poetics.

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.