It speaks to the staying power of a song, when two years after its initial release, it still sounds completely new. That's the beauty of Brooklyn-based Loren Berí and his synth-pop track, "My Brooklyn (Is Better Than Yours)," which gains its music video debut today. The video is directed by Sam Tabasi, who also produces and records music under the name, Glassio. The song opens Berí's debut album, Alby's Ghost, released on October 18th.
The music video itself came about completely organically while Tabasi was taking press photos for Berí.
"I thought: 'let's make a video documenting a hipster stuck in purgatory. How can we create a music video that feels like the bottled up anxiety that comes with trying to prove yourself to a group of cool kids in a very 'Les Jeux Song Fait' setting?,'" Tabasi said.
The art-pop nature of the song displays Berí's innate sense of humor throughout its runtime as he discusses what makes Brooklyn, and New York City as a whole, a larger-than-life place with a reputation that often precedes it. His ability to craft his own alternate reality of the city with his sardonic lyrics and cadence makes the track so endearing, even when his narrative perspective is of someone who may be a little clouded by their own self-perception. It's an ironic ode to a city filled with so many differing personalities, but that acknowledgement creates all the more sincerity. "My Brooklyn is better than yours. My friends would all agree, but my friends are all on tour," is a repeated sentiment that gets at this crux.
The video flashes shots of a collapsed yellow bike with one wheel spinning, a hovering and otherwise disconnected arm holding a rotary phone, and an in memoriam list of iconic closed Brooklyn music venues. The bright video demonstrates Berí's deadpan delivery and allows the personality of the track to shine through, never stepping on its own toes. Berí is able to fully embrace the sometimes self-deprecating and sometimes snarky tone of the track throughout the video, simply allowing his presence to take center stage.
Watch the music video for "My Brooklyn (Is Better Than Yours)" here.
Purchase Alby's Ghost here.
Comments