The Backseat Lovers continue to find success in their second ever Album - Waiting to Spill. The opening song titled “Slowing Down” recently had a music video released on January 26th, 2023. This video is especially unique as the shots originate on 16mm film and are composed by Backseat Lover’s own Joshua Harmon and photographer Brandon J. Minton. If you are a fan of the band you may also see a familiar face or two.
This video took me by surprise as I feel most bands usually don’t pick instrumentals to showcase their album. Yet, “Slowing Down” creates such an interesting auditory environment that it sets itself in a new category of instrumentals. The music video does exactly as the song and attempts to create an atmospheric environment rather than focusing on a storyline or lyrics. The video exhibits beautifully composed shots of water, forestry, observations of humanity, and lead singer Joshua Harmon. Every shot is set in extremely harsh low-key lighting with a 4:3 frame that almost always has an elegant symmetry about it. This is a perfect example of blending old media with new. It is easy to see that this is not edited on technology from the same era as it was shot on. Some shots show reversal and the perfect cuts on the beats of the song tell us this. A great use of the imperfections and awe gathering grain of 16mm film combined with the editing techniques and technology of today.
Some interesting shots that struck my eye, are as follows. An incredibly sincere shot of a pool table and out from the shadows an arm and pool cue emerge, at the moment of contact the film cuts to a newton’s cradle in which is at the exact angle. Another shot shows 3 people walking in line, perfectly in sync with the music and one another. As well as, a ferro-fluid like sand moving around in a dance of swirls and engaging patterns. Even though there is no one thing to focus on throughout the video, this only emphasizes the beauty of the aesthetic of “Slowing Down”.
The Backseat Lovers show time and time again that they are not only astonishing musicians, but extraordinary artists too. They group is able to find a style that has never before been seen, in every piece of work they produce. I simply cannot wait to see what the future of this band looks like. Especially as whole artists constructing art of a plethora of mediums.