Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Sumney released his second album græ in 2020, and with no concerts happening, he wanted to find a new creative way to perform his new songs. He partnered with We-Transfer, and the team worked together to bring his vision to life. Sumney wanted the film to be a fresh format for visualizing music with a setting just as ethereal as his voice. Working with We-Transfer and a 7-piece band, Blackalachia was born.
Office got the chance to speak with Sumney about Blackalachia, the process, and what is next for him. Check out the interview below and film HERE.
How are you?
I’m recovering from the whirlwind that was premiering Blackalachia at the Perez Art Museum Miami.
How does it feel to be at Basel? Is this your first time here?
It’s my first time at Basel, and only my 2nd time in Miami. It’s incredibly intense – every inch of the city is covered with people and art and people wanting their art seen. I do love the energy, though, and I appreciate that the general level of culturedness is higher than it would be at a music festival equivalent.
What does this film mean to you?
Blackachia is a love letter to the Appalachian terrain, a love letter to live performance, a celebration of decadence and indulgence, a proof-of-concept that maybe I can make films after all.
How did it come to fruition?
We had partnered with WePresent to make a film project for my 2nd album græ, and after everything shut down I decided to find a way to make the film locally in order to keep the partnership funds in play. Simultaneously, I had spent weeks workshopping live arrangements of my album songs with this incredibly dynamic band. I decided that instead of making a sort of visual album, I would make a live concert film unlike any I had seen before – outdoors, in the mountains, with a 7-piece band, a bunch of cameras and a technocrane.
The setting was so fabulous, where was it shot?
It was shot in Burnsville, North Carolina, about an hour north of where I live in Asheville.
Why did you choose this setting?
It chose me.
Being on such an intimate stage, truly the top of a mountain, how did it feel to be up there with the other members of the band?
It was incredible to play to an audience of grass, grasshoppers, birds, bees, trees, and wind. At times I felt like one with the earth. At other times I felt mad as hell that the crickets wouldn’t shut up and that we didn’t have the comforts of a traditional venue. It’s all part of it.
How was working with WeTransfer and WePresent?
Truly could not have asked for a more flexible, malleable, and art-fostering partner.
What is next for this project?
Next we hope to tour it around the world – hoping to install and program it at art galleries and museums, perhaps even schools – wherever they will have us.
After a drunken night in Mexico, Danny and Paris had the idea of creating a video together. When speaking about the creation of “Brokenhearted,” Danny explains, “A few days later [Paris] texts me and says, ‘Do you remember the note you sent me? Let’s do it, let’s do the video.’ Without hesitation, I agreed and handed her the reigns. From this point on I had the full-time job of watching in awe as she put it together. Pulling off every last detail, taking every psycho idea I scribbled into my notes app, and turning it into something beautiful.”
Meanwhile, Paris chimes in and explains, “As a female director, it's so important to hire other women in the industry on your team, but I actually casted my favorite DP, Ivy, as the girl on the motorcycle for this one. It's always a fun day on set when you cast only your friends, but they just had this preexisting connection that was so perfect and outrageous that I wanted for the video. Then again, I think as soon as anyone puts on a Troy Dylan Allen gown they're attitude goes from 0 to 100 they're just too fabulous.”
With a masterfully casted crew of lovers including Ivy Tellin, Sierra Brave, Courtney Mawhorr, and Jack Bessette, what started out as a drunken Mexico idea transformed into a youthful timestamp and a memento of chaotic energy. Together Danny Dwyer and Paris Mumpower create visual and melodic magic that leaves us yearning for more.
Danny Dwyer’s debut EP, Losers, is set to release April 2022.
Check out the video exclusively below with some BTS photos and the original notes from where the whole thing started.
With vocals drenched in a velvety, dreamlike essence and a message that resonates to the core, it is difficult to listen to the song just once. “Smithereens” instantly transports listeners into their own personal coming-of-age movie, complete with a windows-down, hair blowing in the wind montage. Their forthcoming EP, to be released in spring of 2022, will hopefully expand upon this intimate journey of becoming – one thing is for sure, we are definitely excited to find out.
Continue reading to get the inside scoop on Boyish’s new single and what’s to come.
What makes the two of you so compatible as collaborators? Do you have any differences that you believe actually strengthen your relationship as a musical duo?
Claire – I think we work really well as collaborators because, at our core, we love the same kind of music. We’re drawn to the same parts in songs, or the same production style, or certain lyrics or instruments. We just both got extremely lucky to find someone who’s on the same page musically. And the best part is, as our music tastes have grown and changed, they’ve changed together! When it comes to writing and producing, I do think we are very different in our approaches. I always seem to hit a song pretty hard right away with lots of guitar and heavier production, and India is very good at weeding out what’s taking up too much space in the song and keeps it in check. India is really great at slowing down and focusing in on a part or a sound and tends to think a lot before acting. I think I am more the kind to jump in, try something, scrap it, try it again, and figure out what I like and what I don’t like. So we really balance each other out in that way.
What directly inspired the music video concept for “Smithereens”?
Claire & India – The music video was directly inspired by the movie “The Runaways” with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, in terms of aesthetic and energy. The concept is being invisible to the people around you no matter what you do to try to get their attention. I think we also wanted to play off of the juxtaposition between the lyrics of the song, which are pretty dark, and the actual music, which is pretty upbeat and fun. In the video we wanted it to just look like a really good time, even though the underlying concept of not being seen at all and doing anything for attention is really sad.
How have your individual identities shaped your sound and lyrics?
C – I feel like when you’re gay, you learn to love differently. When I was growing up I hid so much of myself – any feelings I had or crushes – I kept just for myself. Even now, those feelings are very vulnerable, and I really only let them out through music. I always want to write something that makes me feel like I have a crush on someone and tapping back into those feelings I had growing up is really inspiring to me. I think my identity has made me really sensitive. I think it’s also made me more self-aware, and that’s something that’s very important in writing lyrics.
I – I feel like I’m constantly having an identity crisis. But I think that’s part of growing up, so I feel like that growing up experience is really prevalent in my lyrics. Growing up used to be something that terrified me, up until very recently. Even when I was little I hated the idea that one day I might be different. That feeling of anxiety also started to show up when I was making music, I would worry that I didn’t sound like myself. But it was actually so soothing and relieving to write about how I felt, it helped me be a more honest writer. I think now I’m kind of excited at the prospect of changing and growing.
What is one aspect of the EP that you are both really excited to share with the world?
C & I – We’re really excited to create a world within our EP, so when people listen it’s like they’re being brought into a specific moment in time in our lives. We’re really excited to show that we’re growing as songwriters and producers. Also, we’re just excited to share something that we’re so proud of!
Watch the music video for "Smithereens" below.