Chosen by Monk
As the rays of light at the end of the dark tunnel that has been the past 18 months of isolation and generally being shit upon from great heights grow brighter by the day, and life starts to return to some sense of normality, a healthy slew of new music, perhaps more than at any other time in ÜR’s history, continues to ping itself our way, and especially in the continuing tsunami of submissions we receive for our coveted ‘Video Of The Week’ award… Yes, as we’ve said on multiple occasions, one constant throughout the Covidications of the recent past has been the amazing level of adaptive creativity that bands and video directors the length and breadth of the Überverse have continued to show, often in the most adverse of circumstances.
After viewing all of the entries – and, yes, I did watch every one of the almost 140 submissions we received this week – at the end of the day (or night, depending on where you are in the Überverse), there could be only one winner… And this week, it is a video not for a single song but for an entire EP, as Kentucky hardcore heroes Knocked Loose have teamed up with maverick Swedish filmmaker Magnus Jonsson, who is known for his visual curiosity and often exploring dark themes, in abstract and surreal worlds, to create an ambitious 21-minute animated film to accompany their latest release, ‘A Tear In The Fabric Of Life’, which was issued this past Friday via Pure Noise Records.
Frontman/lyricist Bryan Garris told us more about the new EP, which is the thematic follow up to 2019’s ‘A Different Shade Of Blue’ album:
“It’s a story about extreme grief and the levels a person is willing to go through to get rid of it. The story follows a main character through a traumatic car crash late one night in the woods that leaves his partner deceased, and from there you spiral with him into the depression and guilt that comes with being the cause of something so detrimental.
“This is the first time we really dove in and tried to create something sonicly that evokes a different range of emotions and over all something that introduces tension and anxiety with a massive pay off. The story is told not only through words but through the music as well, which proved to be our biggest challenge in writing. Lyrically this story ended up being much more personal than we initially intended. We started with the idea to tell a fictional story but throughout the process, I found ways to incorporate real feelings of loss and mourning, as well as anger and self-doubt. I’ve always been a very personal writer, and this was originally a step away from that, into something more artistic. But in the end, it was just as therapeutic as writing a regular Knocked Loose record, and I think you’ll be able to hear that.”
Director and animator Magnus Jonsson told us a bit more about his visual take on the EP:
“I always want to create something that complements the music, works within its structures and hopefully enriches the experience for the audience. With a longer format around 21 minutes, covering six tracks, I knew this dark ghost story was a very interesting challenge to explore in animation. I took the story presented in the songs and anchored that into a visual world. I wanted to create an intense nightmare, focusing on the emotional states of Bryan’s main character. I created visuals that bring the audience deeper into this story of a spiralling descent into horror and destructive madness, taking a minimalistic and sometimes even abstract approach to many parts of the image making, creating unease and an eerie atmosphere.”
The video contains flashing images, and also footage which definitely is NSFW.
- A Tear In The Fabric Of Life’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
- Knocked Loose will tour the ÜK in February, with dates at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, Y Plas in Cardiff, the Corporation in Sheffield, QMU in Glasgow, KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, Becketts in Leeds and the Engine Rooms in Southampton. They will also play the Outbreak festival in Manchester in June.
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