Ye olde Olympics, the creeping darkness, exit the crew, a gothic landscape, and the lyrics literally.
Cut Off Your Hands “Let Go”
This video is a montage of old footage of men’s and women’s gymnastics from some sort of major sports event – probably the Olympics – in around the 1940s. It’s not as flashy as the modern displays of gymnastics, but there’s an enjoyable grace and fluidity to the movements, and it works nicely with the melancholic indie pop of “Let Go”.
dDub “Give It Some”
dDub’s lightweight political anthem (“We have to give it some thought”) has a semi-animated video. It’s based on live footage of the band, but with much of the background shaded in black, looking like the band is being swallowed by creeping darkness, like the Vashta Narada of Doctor Who. A curiosity: in all of dDub’s music videos, they’ve used a homemade animation of the oldest NZ On Air logo from the ’90s.
Director: Sam Buys
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Dimmer “You’re Only Leaving Hurt”
The “You’re Only Leaving Hurt” video takes place in a spooky, gothic animated landscape. There are simple scenes – like a tall ship rolling on the ocean – but each is inherently linked to the tempo and tone of the music. The final shot of the film is a sepia-tone New Zealand flag, gently fluttering in the breeze. With all the flag debate that’s going on, this shot is a reminder that the old flag ain’t so bad.
Note: This video used to be available on Amplifier, but that’s now been shut down so there’s no current online source.
Director: Gary Sullivan
Evermore “Never Let You Go”
“Never Let You Go” was the last of Evermore’s funded videos. The video was produced in Australia, the only only charted in Australia so it was clear that’s where the band’s focus was. The band are absent from the video. Instead it is made up of old film and newsreel clips that literally illustrate the song lyrics. Sometimes it’s a bit cheesy, other times it’s humorous or moving.
Director: Nash Edgerton & Spencer Susser
Fast Crew “Fly”
“Fly” was Fast Crew’s final funded video, and it’s fitting that the song is about moving on to new things. The video also revisits the Britomart Transport Centre, previously seen in Fast Crew’s “I Got” video – though this time it’s playing the part of an airport terminal. The footage is broken up into photo-sized shapes, overlapping like a linear Dave Hockney style. It seems like the group knew their time was up. “Fly” is a nice enough swansong, ready for Kid Deft to revert back to Dane Rumble and go solo the next year.