They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Well, I think for many of us now, locked away in our houses to fight off the spread of this pandemic, we’re finding a newfound gratitude for our communities and places. Everyone has their favourite spots, and globally speaking, there’s something special about the way our cities are so different and unique, yet invariably linked through the ways we live in them. It’s the things we love – the way they bring us together and the memories we attach to them – that can feel the same no matter where you are. Today, Eda Wolf premieres a music video to the world that has captured the soul of their own city, imitating life in a way only art can, and I think it’s exactly what we all needed.
The original vision of the Brooklyn-based group, alongside director Steven Stauffer and DP Taylor McIntosh, was to shoot “Technicolor” in an abandoned New York City boiler room, and while I can’t help but wonder how they would’ve captured the essence of that place, I’m glad in a way that their plans fell through. What we get instead, is a simple and honest palette of what I’ll venture to assume is home and immediate for the duo. Vocalist Dea Juirs assumes the role of centrepiece, with art-noir close-up performances of her and producer Emiliano Flowerman comprising most of the clip. The initial dim black and white scenes, shot indoors in the dying sunlight, are then juxtaposed beautifully with bursts of titular technicolor as the first chorus hits. Using the visual moniker of a neon square and vibrant washes of neon over Dea’s moodily lit features, Eda Wolf has served up a synesthetic snapshot of their city’s Chinatown nightscape.
As for the song itself, this is par for the course if you’re familiar with Eda Wolf, and I mean that in the best way. The neo-soul vibes pair with pop quality production, and it’s catchy and melodic without killing the cool.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but it feels as though these contrasting parts are intended to paint a whole. I found it all too easy to attach these colours and vibes to my own city and my own memories – the noir shots capturing the introspection of lying in bed, alone on a Sunday morning, taking stock of one’s place in their own little bubble. The city-never-sleeps sparkle permeates throughout the video like flashbacks, and when Dea sings, ‘Bring back the technicolor’, I could swear it was my own internal monologue on these lazy Sundays. Being in isolation as many of us are now, can certainly invoke these feelings. But as much as we’re all missing the technicolor of everyday life, we’re lucky to have art like this that can transport us, however briefly, to what awaits on the other side.
“Technicolor” will be available on all streaming platforms March 29, 2020, where you can also find their stellar 2018 EP, Spring Came Slow. Up to date info about the band and their music can be found on the rather slick looking edawolf.com, and be sure to follow them on their Facebook and Instagram for sweet, sweet social content on your boring lockdown days.
