Off the excellent debut EP Tether from earlier in 2021, highlight track Bones / Dust gets the music video treatment. Nicole Marxen collaborates with director Richard Krause on a moody visual which reflects the music's dark character.
Richard Krause comments: "The first time I heard Bones / Dust, I knew I wanted to make a music video for it. Nicole's vocals are haunting yet beautiful, like a siren's call. As I listened, atmospheric black-and-white images flooded my mind. A world encased in fog. Giant monsters emerging from the earth, coming for humanity. Shadows and light painting the scenes.
"To ensure that I could bring my vision to life, I made a test video for the song in Unreal Engine 5. When I shared it with Nicole, she loved it.
"While I had initially planned on creating only around 20 shots for the video, that number grew to 40. I wanted to do her song justice and fully develop the music video’s world and story. It was a long process, but I think the end result is really magical. When people watch the video, I hope they’re transported to where my mind went when I heard the song the first time."
Nicole adds: "When Richard approached me with his idea for the video, test renders already in tow, I was floored. I’ve basically been responding to every progress email update he’s sent with superlative curse words in all caps for the past nine months.
"Personally, when I imagine leaving this mortal coil, I think this would be a pretty cool way to go."
Photo by Daven Martinez