New Jersey trio, Screaming Females return with their new, sixth record “Rose Mountain”, out 24th February via Don Giovanni Records and we’re psyched to premiere their video for “Hopeless.” Kicking off with a teetering piano line “Hopeless” hangs on singer/guitarist Marissa Paternoster’s full-bodied vocals. It starts off pared back and pristine before the scuzz-rock kicks in just before the three minute mark, a wave Paternoster rides it till the song’s succinct conclusion.
For filmmaker Lance Bangs (Sonic Youth, Odd Future, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), “Hopeless” was the album’s immediate standout track. The video itself was lit with flashlights and shot over the course of several freezing winter nights out in central New Jersey. Those blood splatters on the pickguard were 100 percent real: Paternoster apparently played in the chilly conditions till her fingers split open. And the setting? Those are definitely decommissioned McDonald’s playground structures in the background.
As for the crazy wiggles and scrawls that vibrate across the screen, Bangs had this to say about the after effect: “We did this bonkers approach of editing everything, then getting it turned into an actual 35mm negative, then we had movie prints made, then Marissa spent days obsessively scratching, bleaching, and hand animating the 5400 individual frames. After that we rescanned it all, and synched it up to the audio. To our knowledge I don’t think anyone has bothered to go through all of that hassle for a video before.”
Talk about dedication to awesome. Bangs has also been on the road with the band so keep your eyes peeled for that tour documentary coming out next week.
The Fat Angel Sings 