Heartbreaking Bravery

It’s only been a few days since the last mass music video roundup but that’s still enough time for a handful of gems to sneak through the tunnel and into the light. Those clips were as follows: Staring At Lakes’ powerful, compassionate “Consanguinea“, Wolf Alice’s hard-charging “Fluffy“, HONNE’s heavily atmospheric “Top To Toe“, TOPS’ lovingly retro “Sleeptalker“, Ratatat’s animated “Abrasive“, Foals’ gripping “What Went Down“, Funeral Advantage’s tantalizingly hazy “Sisters“, and Tangerine’s charming home video experiment “Tiny Islands“.  While all of those are worth a watch (or several), this post’s feature is branching off into somewhat unexpected territory and places a spotlight squarely on Raury and the young songwriter’s extraordinary clip for “Devil’s Whisper” (itself a bookend to one of his older singles, “God’s Whisper“).

Musically, the track encapsulates centuries worth of heritage touch points, spinning them into something that feels startlingly original (and in a manner not too dissimilar from site favorites Algiers). Visually, it’s a masterpiece. Backed by a strong narrative that could be seen as deeply allegorical and bolstered by committed performances from the cast and crew, “Devil’s Whisper” feels like the culmination of pop’s progression (though “Devil’s Whisper” probably wouldn’t immediately be categorized as such). What starts as celebratory quickly turns nightmarish before finally settling into boldly confrontational. There are transitions between psyches, gorgeous landscape shots, stunning edits, and a lot of raw talent that find themselves in plain view here, making “Devil’s Whisper” essential viewing. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on what could very well be the future of pop music. Fingers crossed, at least.

Watch “Devil’s Whisper” below and keep an eye on this site for more news on the artist’s upcoming releases.