Two sides of the same coin.Companion by Braids

12/06/2021. [MUSIC - VIDEO] by Braids
metalocus, RAMIRO ISAURRALDE

As part of the EP titled Companion, the Canadian band Braids presents us the video for their song of the same name, starring their singer Raphaelle Standell.

This is one of the pieces left out of his acclaimed album "Deep in the Iris", released in 2015.

Companion by Braids

With a heartbreaking calm, close to silence itself, the Montreal natives transport us to a stage where we can see the internal struggle of the main character, represented in two mirrored versions of herself, with two clearly defined aesthetics, and two different environments: the natural and the built landscape.

This duality, represented through the interpreter and her environment, shows how both parties, the architecture and the landscape presented to us, can coexist, intertwining and allowing themselves to penetrate one another.

"There is a hauntingly sombre beauty to the music, which strongly coloured the overall tone of the final piece, but it was a particular resonance I felt with the song’s opening line (‘It had nothing to do with you, how can I make that more clear’) that ultimately shaped the video’s concept. To me, that line felt like it had a reflective quality to it, this internalized conversation about reconciliation, forgiveness and empathy. I was interested in the tension of how we view and value ourselves and what that really means when we talk a about growth. The idea of articulating an internal confrontation of those more powerfully debilitating obstacles (such as trauma, regret, habit, self-loathing), that which fosters a state of emotional purgatory, became the central conceit of the video."

Kevan Funk. Director of the video

Another aspect that brings life to the video, shot with the characteristic still frames of the most traditional architectural cinematography, is the wind, or rather, the breeze. A gentle breeze that charges each plane with movement, both outside and inside the house, where it makes the ceiling light swing back and forth, to remind us that we are in front of a moving photograph.

Braids. Our Saturday music video. (Official Music Video). METALOCUS MUSIC PROJECT.

CREDITS.-

Composer.- Austin Tufts. Raphaelle Standell Preston. Taylor Bonner Smith.
Writer.- Braids.
Production.- Tyler Funk.
Direction.- Kevan Funk.
Cinematography.- Benjamin Loeb.
Compositing.- Sebastian Mercado.
Colour.- Dave Tomiak.
Hair & Make Up.- Teia Dumaresq.
Date.- 2016.

Lyrics.-

It had nothing to do with you
How can I make that more clear?
I don't remember losing you
Early in spring that year

We were sent off
Whether we liked it or not
We were sent off
Whether we liked it or not

I don't remember the last time I saw you
But your hair was long and blonde
And your shape was like a little plum
'Cause you hadn't yet grown tall

We were sent off
Whether we liked it or not
We were sent off
Whether we liked it or not

Cute chubby kid
That hated to swim
Cute chubby kid
That hated to swim

Cute chubby kid
That hated to swim
Cute chubby kid
That hated to swim

Remember when I pushed you in
You were surprised that you floated