Alt-R&B artist ROSA displays courage in his painfully raw single “BLOW” and accompanying music video. The track unearths and sets free some deeply buried demons surrounding ROSA’s personal battle with depression and drug abuse. Living with depression from an early age, ROSA quickly learned to adapt, to suppress his emotions, and instead forced himself to think clinically. While clever, this approach only prevented him from actually confronting his issues. It was his crafty thinking that allowed his severe cocaine addiction to fly under the radar for years without his friends or family noticing. Written, composed, produced, and arranged by ROSA alongside Joveek Murphy and Axe Hessel, the title “BLOW” refers both to cocaine, but also to what happens when you fail to deal with your emotions. The track is not only about someone coming to terms with their drug problem, but also with the root of the problem: depression. It is the second of a trio of singles that will be released before ROSA’s anticipated debut EP FEMALE. This EP will deal with female empowerment but also tackles issues of male emotional vulnerability. ROSA aims to challenge the stereotypes that surround masculinity by exposing some dark parts of himself. In the interest of honesty, “BLOW” speaks frankly, eschewing metaphors and symbolism to avoid romanticizing the matters of drug use in the track. By doing so, ROSA hopes to offer an alternative to the glamourized portrayal of drug use in pop culture.
The music video was directed by ROSA himself and illustrates his experience, from the initial ecstasy of cocaine to the inevitable deterioration as the high wears off. To show this, we first see shots of pleasant images: green trees and manicured bushes, women in dresses, bright blue lipstick, and deep red and white cloths. But each of these images are a double-edged sword. The groomed shrubbery and vivid colours seem out of context against muted colours and barren landscapes in the background. The faces of the women are void of expression. As the video progresses, we start to notice certain unsettling subtleties in the initial shots– the expression of pain on someone’s face with their mouth duct-taped shut, the fact that the fabrics are stretched over the people’s face. Eventually, you see that these people are struggling, even screaming through their restraints. Towards the end, fuzzy, black and white shots are interspersed among the others, before the harrowing final ten seconds arrive.
While ROSA’s alternative R&B and pop sound fits in somewhere near Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, and Dev Hynes, his sound also has distinct touches that make his music his own. In “BLOW”, the music follows the same path of decay as the video, beginning with a smooth bassline and vocals, but finishing with stuttering words and haphazardous pauses before stopping suddenly, holding its breath for the final shot in the video. When the grainy black and white shots appear, some grungy guitar fills out the music, and shortly after ghostly harmonies chill you to the bone. The most impact, however, comes from the inserted spoken lines. Used sparingly, these lines directly get the message across, and uphold ROSA’s goal to show authentic emotions in a straightforward way.
Watch the striking video here, and look out for the third FEMALE single and the EP itself in the future.
Experimental pop and R&B alchemists Black Grapefruit have reanimated their 2019 song “Waist” from their dance-inspired EP of the same name. The duo released a pertinent video and compelling remix that offer fresh takes on the track.
Produced by Not 97, the video features footage from fans, friends, and family dancing to “Waist” from the comfort of their homes. Ironically, the video was put together way before the coronavirus-induced mandate to stay home was in effect. The sense of community present in the video has only gotten more relevant. Black Grapefruit mentioned that this video is a “reminder that we can share energy regardless of distance, and that we are all more connected than we sometimes realize.” It’s something to keep in mind as we all brave the isolating effects of seclusion. There are several cameos in the video as well, such as Emmy-nominated actor Zazie Beetz and model and co-host of MTV’s Catfish Kamie Crawford.
The song itself is quite chill but is also infused with a danceable energy, adding another dimension to the song’s relevance. Black Grapefruit explains the place of “Waist” in light of recent events by saying that “humans have been dancing through pain and turmoil since long before recorded music. With full respect for the moment, this is our creative offering. It’s made from ceremonial, positive intention. We can only hope that its movement somehow supports our collective and continued fight towards justice and healing.” Overall the track has a good continuous flow, but anticipation is created by the few pauses that are thrown in to keep the listener on their toes. The remix takes these pauses further, breaking up the melody into fragments and weaving them together into a fractured tapestry. Despite this, there are still tons of beats to attach dance moves to, preserving the rhythmic essence of the original track.
Finnish art-rock artist GEA drops her lead single “Despite” off her upcoming album Call for a Snake. The track starts out smooth and continues to build, growing stronger. As she travels through the forest, with dense trees and flowing rivers, GEA seems to go through an awakening. We are taken on a journey, but in the end GEA walks away despite her troubles.
“We are experiencing an unusually tough period of uncertainty, fear, and loss. I hope with this song we can celebrate our beautiful journey on earth regardless of our troubles,” GEA explained.
The track comes from a part of the album that is dedicated to the spirit of the swan, a representation of grace and elegance, an iconic figure in Finnish folklore. As the first single of the new album GEA sets the tone, a call for transformation and guide to healing the soul.
Watch the video for “Despite” and keep up with GEAhere.
Well, PRIDE month is here. So is civil unrest, but that’s been bubbling at the surface for some time. We are going to have some insane new releases this month. Keep your eyes glued to this feature, as we continue to add to our list of favorite new music videos throughout the month.
Let’s start it off with “Fight Like A Girl” by Raye Zaragoza, shall we?
Break up songs are ones that pull on our heart strings, but they usually aren’t about the person taking the responsibility for it all. However, Riches of the Poor take a turn and assume that responsibility in “Behave”. Frontman Miky explains:
This song is a criticism of my handling of a break up. I feel that break up songs are mostly „how could you do this do to me you scum“ but basically here the first person assumes responsibility for being the villain and is feeling sorry about it, but not doing anything about it apart from complaining and feeling sorry for everyone involved, which isn’t helping.
It makes for a dramatic story telling perspective, but it isn’t really improving anything.
We are taken through the streets as we watch him walk around town, reflecting upon the failed relationship. The gloomy, cold day matches the lyrics as the video unravels, giving viewers a look into the dramatic point of view.
“Behave” is the third single off the alt-rockers’ The Long Way Down and sets the tone of heartbreak mixed with joy in their songs.
Rising newcomer Dylan, introduces herself with debut single “Good Enough,” an edgy piece of pop music. The song focuses around the idea of people, or exes making you feel less than, and realizing they are wrong and you are going to prove that. It’s emotional and even with a high-energy undertone it is still one that will get you screaming the lyrics.
The music video is simple. It showcases Dylan performing backlight by a line of lights, when the chorus hits the lights start to flash. The flashing helps to highlight the uptick of the instrumentation in the chorus compared to the rest of the song. Each time before the chorus hits there is a small pause preceding.
The video showcases Dylan as a performer, a possible glimpse of how she will look onstage. She plays with the emotional weight of the song and expresses that through face and gestures towards the camera.
“Good Enough” gives an introduction to Dylan, her music style, and her song-writing style. The track makes you want to hear more from her and see where she can go with her music.
The first track from Fried Monk‘s upcoming Hurry Up and Wait release, “Welcome”, has a trippy music video to accompany the cacophony of syllables . Shot through the streets of Philadelphia in cold weather, the video brings attention to a few key points that we might not otherwise be focusing on right now.
Having been in self-induced quarantine for weeks at this point, this video really makes me feel a little strange from the get-go. It’s simply the artist walking the streets of a well-known American city. It shouldn’t bring more than a passing thought to my mind in its simplest form. However, I feel nostalgic, yet scared of the idea of being outside where people could be. Conflicting thoughts, however an exploration of a world outside of yourself. And that’s important right now. Add in some layering effects, and you’ve got a video we can all ponder on.
As things get weird outside, we like to create our ambiance every day. Most of that involves music videos, and we get to see our fair share. So, per usual, we have sifted through all the new stuff and given you a (random) soundtrack of all the best ones! So get lost for a while… seriously. These videos will inspire.
Keep coming back all month long for new additions to the soundtrack. Because, really, what else are you doing?
In March of 2017, we were in a different place. Financially, emotionally, career-wise… but the biggest difference? We were covering SXSW as official press (for a different publication). Imperfect Fifth has thrived on what we learned within that community, learning tenfold about the industry in one week over what we had in the previous five years combined working within it. Because we are all feeling a sense of lack of community right now — and almost none of us are out enjoying ourselves in the streets of Austin — I wanted to share some video interviews from that first, fated SXSW. You know, when social distancing didn’t exist and we all did yoga in bars together.
For official SXSW coverage and takeovers all week, head to our Instagram!
