Tag: Video Review: Lost In My Mind

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Follow an Astronaut in Search of the Happiest Planet in the Galaxy in Adorable Animated Video for Mind of Max’s “Lost in My Love”

Max Weiner is an American-born singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. His visual art is influenced by the folk and psychedelic movements of the 60s and 70s, as its centered by a bold and trippy vibrancy, while his music with his solo recording project Mind of Max has been comparably to the likes of Fleet Foxes, Paul Simon, and Bon Iver.

Following the release of his second EP, 2013’s Seasons, Weiner was invited to The Netherlands to open for Dutch folk rock act AlascA on a two-week tour of Germany and Holland. While driving to Amsterdam, AlascA’s Frank Bond played an album by the country folk act Plainsong. And as the story goes, Weiner was hooked by the melodic bend of the pedal steel, the delicate slide of the dobro and the close knit vocal harmonies of the band.

Returning home from the tour, Weiner began writing and recording demos influenced by the sounds he’d heard while on tour; in fact, he purchased a pedal steel guitar and taught himself how to play in a style that he felt would compliment his new sonic direction. Those demos would eventually inform the material on his full-length debut The Key.

Unable to secure a producer that felt right for the album, Weiner produced and performed the songs on the album by himself. Four years later, the album was finished. “Recording an album on your own can be a brutal process,” Weiner says in press notes. “At times, I felt like I was losing my mind and I wanted to call it quits. But I’m so proud of the work I’ve done on this record. I’ve grown in my ability to serve the song and not my ego. Above all else, I’ve learned to believe in and trust myself as a musician and producer. I’d like to feel that everyone can find something within these songs that identifies with their struggles as well as their triumphs. We’re all on a similar path in this world, and I hope you feel a bit of peace knowing you’re not alone on your journey.”

The Key’s latest single is the breezy, Crosby Stills and Nash-like “Lost in My Love.” Centered around twangy, country folk-like guitars paired with some gorgeous layered harmonies, the song is a tale of being so infatuated with the idea of having someone in your life that you miss the obvious red flags — and learning from it so that the next time you’re in that situation, you see it with clear eyes.

Featuring bold and colorful animation from Aishwara Sadasivan, who wrote the video’s story in partnership with the folks at The Wild Honey Pie, the recently released and adorably sweet video follows an astronaut in search of the galaxy’s happiest planet. “We pulled from design elements used on my album cover and Aish’s vibrant, colorful creatures and world building brought a real sense of whimsy and magic. Her unique narrative of an astronaut in search of the galaxy’s happiest player was a fresh approach and I’m thrilled to see it all come together so well.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Renowned Australian Electro Pop Trio RUFUS DU SOL Releases Symbolic Visuals for Album Single “Lost in My Mind”

Over this past year, I’ve written a bit about the acclaimed Sydney, Australia-based electro pop trio RUFUS DU SOL. And as you may recall, with the release of their first two albums  — 2013’s ATLAS, which landed at number 1 on the Australian charts and 2016’s critically and commercially successful follow up, Bloom, which featured smash hits “You Were Right” and “Innerbloom,” the trio comprised of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt quickly became sensations both at home and internationally. During a two year period of international touring to support their first two albums, the Sydney-based electro pop  trio developed a reputation for combining the DIY live aesthetics of indie rock and punk rock with the euphoria of club culture.

Once they finished touring, Lindqvist, George and Hunt spent a year in Venice, CA writing and recording their third and latest full-length album SOLACE, and as the trio note, that while the album is influenced by the dichotomy of the stark desert landscapes and coastlines of California, it’s a much fuller exploration of their evolving sound — and a deeper, more intimate glimpse into melancholy and transcendence. “It feels like a new RÜFÜS,”the trio said in press notes. “We are inspired by our new home out here, by the people we’ve met and the music we’ve heard along the way. We’ve got a refreshed sense of ambition and cannot wait to share our creation with the world.”

“Underwater,” SOLACE‘s second single further cemented the trio’s growing reputation for forward-thinking, boundary-pushing production as the track was centered around arpeggiated and propulsive Giorgio Moroder-like synths, a soaring choral hook and verses that express an aching longing. Ultimately, the track reveals an act that has managed to carefully walk a tightrope between arena and club rocking bombast with an earnest and intimate emotionality. “Lost In My Mind” the album’s third and latest single continues with forward thinking, electronic production centered around twinkling and arpeggiated synths, a chopped up choral-based hook paired with soulful vocals. And while the song sonically nods at Snap!‘s “Rhythm is a Dancer,” the song manages to evoke both the anxious desperation of someone hopelessly trapped within his own mind, and the push and pull of new love.

Directed by Drew Kirsch, the recently released video features the members of RUFUS DU SOL sitting on a moving couch that takes them through an abandoned factory on the outskirts of a large city. The couch propels the trio through the walls of an abandoned factories and buildings — and when they finally return home, they’re covered in dust, dirt and grime. Interestingly, the video emphasizes a larger struggle within the song — the struggle to keep oneself together, in the face of adversity and confusion.