Heartbreaking Bravery

A week’s a lot of time for exceptional clips to surface and this past one didn’t disappoint, ushering in new music videos from: Alice Boman, Hit Bargain, S.M. Wolf, Forth Wanderers, Sleepy Zuhoski, LICE, Little Junior, The Ophelias, Common Holly, Jess Williamson, Hot Tang, The Beths, Delta Sleep, Dusted, Denitia, Wye Oak, and Cornelia Murr. All of those are worth multiple views but the spotlight (and silhouette) here belongs to one of the week’s simplest clips: Haley Heynderickx’s “No Face”.

“No Face” was directed by Evan James Atwood and consists of nothing more than a gorgeously framed shot of Heynderickx running through “No Face” using stop motion techniques and the assistance Atwood’s fingers to convey something that strikes deep, tapping into something near the transcendental. As a narrative, it suggests complications and simplicity simultaneously, hinting at the distances of the relationships we form around our identity and how those relationships shape our existence.

At every turn, “No Face” is mesmerizing, pulling the viewer in until their eyes are practically pressed against the screen. It’s another beautiful example of how minimalist trappings can lead to maximized results, as the clip finds a way of climbing from the world of curiosities into the realms of the unforgettable. One of the most distinctively compelling clips of the first half of 2018, it’s hard to fathom the imprint it leaves behind fading anytime soon.

Watch “No Face” below and pick up I Need to Start A Garden here.