Today we present the music video premiere of ‘Maybe‘ – the lead single from Manchester-based experimental pop duo Hyperdawn’s second album ‘Steady‘, a downtempo spectrum of vaporwave inspired electronic pop, evoking a potent aura of aesthetics you’d expect from the cinematic sensation of David Fincher’s cult film Fight Club (1999).
The video orchestrates a delicate dance between understated performances and surreal snapshots. The band appear in isolated ellipses, gradually unveiling themselves, and attempts to contact our character in the space as the song progresses. Like the oscillation of the Akai reel-to-reel tape player that the band employ, the music video visualises an eternal loop – in a realm that’s part waiting area, part internal psyche – a twisted blend of space and headspace.
At the video’s core lies a lone figure ensnared within the clutches of his own psyche, a prisoner of his thoughts, incapable of forging ahead or fleeing the confines of his state of mind. Cal McVann, a figure both elusive and magnetic, breathes existence into our protagonist, channeling a performance referenced to be stoic and unmoving, with a light twist of Charlie Kaufman’s idiosyncrasy. His movements drag, as if an extra gravitational pull pins him to the floor, as increasingly bizarre moments of rebellion to the role increase in intensity.
As the final frame approaches, realisation crashes upon our main character. Vitalija reaches out, and he finally sees, finally hears. At this juncture, his rigidity melts into fluidity; he becomes unshackled, floating through the space in disconcerting yet entrancing motions. The fourth wall shatters in the video’s final moments, a fractured reality as the set is struck around him. He stands and lights a cigarette, walks off set and away from a character he’s done portraying, a role he’ll no longer play.
Captured using a mixture of Red Komodo, Mini DV & 16mm, the world was meticulously crafted with DOP, friend and collaborator Sean Cheung. The mixture of techniques mirroring Hyperdawn’s combination of digital and analogue technology.
‘Steady’ is scheduled for release on 13th October via Them There Records. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Director/ Producer – Sophie Barrott
Director of Photography – Sean Cheung
Camera Assistant – Tom Altree
Production Assistant / Photography – Thomas Edwards
Starring – Cal McVann
Stylist – Caitlin Matthews
Set Designer – Olivia Walters
Set Construction – Johnny James & Jake Parker
Gaffer – Justin Windle
Lighting provided by Dan Tunstall
Studio – Big Shed Studio
