Heartbreaking Bravery

Yesterday’s post covered a lot of music video content from the past few weeks and this one expands where that one left off, touching on the remainder of that content. As was the case in that post, a list of titles will be included underneath this post’s featured video: Saintseneca‘s “River”. With the release of Such Things rapidly approaching, the band’s in mid-swing as far as their rollout campaign is concerned- and while the momentum they’re building is drawing to its inevitable conclusion as a knockout blow, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the finesse in the execution of the arc. “River”, as a clip, is a particularly graceful moment that allows the band to slip in a meta-narrative about the band’s personal growth.

Going back to a DIY visual aesthetic reminiscent of old VHS movies and evoking a strong sense of nostalgia, “River” also features a lot of subjects in perpetual motion. Largely comprised of BMX and skateboard footage, the clip subtly hints at the larger looming thematic elements of the record that Zac Little exhaustively detailed in an interview with Stereogum. It’s a simple clip that acts more as meditation than as story and it’s oddly elegant, underscoring the band’s newfound rough-hewn spikiness. Gnarled and beautiful, it’s an effective piece of work that stands out as one of the year’s more deceptively thoughtful clips. Now bust out a bike or a skateboard and take advantage of the weather while it’s still nice.

Watch “River” below and pre-order Such Things from ANTI- ahead of its release here. Below the video explore a few of the format’s more memorable entries from the past two weeks.

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Ought – Sun’s Coming Down
Sleepy Hahas – Deep River
Bad Bad Hats – Shame
Tuff Sunshine – Rattlin’ Man
PWR BTTM – 1994
Diet Cig – Sleep Talk
Surrender the Spirit – Control
Deerhunter – Breaker
Wavves – Way Too Much
Woolen Men – Temporary Monument
Cuntz – Nah Man
Society – Protocol
Speedy Ortiz – Swell Content
Toro Y Moi – Half Dome
The Miami Dolphins – Drooling
Salad Boys – First Eight
Allison Weiss – Who Are We
PUJOL – Sleepy Doni
Baroness – Chlorine & Wine
Inheaven – Bitter Town
The Stavves – Steady
Yassou – To Sink
Shelf Life – Sinking Just Right
Fort Lean – Might’ve Misheard
Dam Gila – History
Kafka Tamura – Lullabies
Hammock – Blankets of Night