Music / Premieres
Video Premiere:
Brain Drugs - Door Snakes
Brain Drugs - Door Snakes
DIY duo Brain Drugs (aka Mike of Michael Beach and Pete of Onion Engine) are back with another furtive visual offering for their brand new track ‘Door Snakes’, which features on their forthcoming debut LP on Cannery Records.
The clip for ‘Door Snakes’ watches like a prequel to the video for ‘Night Shift (at the Fruit Cannery)’, which to some extent baffled this publication when we tried to decipher it back in April this year. Both videos are directed by Sophia Mero, beautifully shot on 8mm film and feel very much like siblings or extensions of each other.
Video clips for instrumental songs seem to carry with them the added pressure of providing meaning to a song in the absence of lyrics. Mero navigates this issue with poise, capturing an interesting representation of the music without positing an overt explanation. Much like its predecessor, the clip for ‘Door Snakes’ depicts a simultaneously bleak and beautifully parched Australian landscape, providing an effortless visual extension of the brooding, off-kilter music that accompanies it.
Sonically, simple intersecting melodies give ‘Door Snakes’ a warm, classic texture, whilst leaving ample room for the thoughts of the listener to wander; the upcoming full-length feels like it could be a good one to garden too. Visually, the clip sees the track’s ominous guitars and warbling synths paired with slinking camera shots through decaying yellow grass, creating something akin to snake-eye view. Footage of dehydrated eucalypts in sync with enigmatic tom drums is effective in arresting attention. In fact, curious drum rhythms seem to be something of a trademark for Brain Drugs, who are set to join a cohort of niche yet talented Melbourne instrumental bands that construct thoughtfully diffused psychedelic music (think Krakatau or Brown Spirits).
As a whole, the clip feels like an opening sequence to a larger piece of work and summons an air of Kubrick-esque mystique, much like the opening scene of The Shining. We also see a reprise of the two hay creatures that featured in the video for ‘Night Shift’, although this time we get a glimpse of Beach in person before he dons the organic ghillie suit. Brain Drugs’ cohesively abstract aesthetic is as ambiguous as it is intriguing; but with the full album set to be released tomorrow, we’ll only have to wait one more sleep to uncover where it is they intend on taking us.
Video clips for instrumental songs seem to carry with them the added pressure of providing meaning to a song in the absence of lyrics. Mero navigates this issue with poise, capturing an interesting representation of the music without positing an overt explanation. Much like its predecessor, the clip for ‘Door Snakes’ depicts a simultaneously bleak and beautifully parched Australian landscape, providing an effortless visual extension of the brooding, off-kilter music that accompanies it.
Sonically, simple intersecting melodies give ‘Door Snakes’ a warm, classic texture, whilst leaving ample room for the thoughts of the listener to wander; the upcoming full-length feels like it could be a good one to garden too. Visually, the clip sees the track’s ominous guitars and warbling synths paired with slinking camera shots through decaying yellow grass, creating something akin to snake-eye view. Footage of dehydrated eucalypts in sync with enigmatic tom drums is effective in arresting attention. In fact, curious drum rhythms seem to be something of a trademark for Brain Drugs, who are set to join a cohort of niche yet talented Melbourne instrumental bands that construct thoughtfully diffused psychedelic music (think Krakatau or Brown Spirits).
As a whole, the clip feels like an opening sequence to a larger piece of work and summons an air of Kubrick-esque mystique, much like the opening scene of The Shining. We also see a reprise of the two hay creatures that featured in the video for ‘Night Shift’, although this time we get a glimpse of Beach in person before he dons the organic ghillie suit. Brain Drugs’ cohesively abstract aesthetic is as ambiguous as it is intriguing; but with the full album set to be released tomorrow, we’ll only have to wait one more sleep to uncover where it is they intend on taking us.
Brain Drugs’ self-titled album is out tomorrow, August 19th, through Cannery Records - head to Bandcamp to purchase the record digitally or on 12" vinyl, with all proceeds from digital sales to be donated to the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS).
