The song “Marry Me Once” by Kristen Rae Bowden is a soulful expression of the hardships of love. A listener can hear the inspirations of a variety of styles such as folk, soft rock, and a resemblance to country that intertwine themselves together to create a spiritual experience for all audiences. This song serves as an anthem for those who treasure the freedom that comes from finally mastering self-love. The soft piano melodies followed by the rocking drums represent the highs and lows of the artist’s experience that inspired the song.
Kristen Rae Bowden states, “This song is about carrying your own emotional burden and not asking others to do the tough work for you of getting to really know yourself and love yourself. When I wrote this song I’d been noticing how common it is for people to covertly expect their partners to do this work for them. I’ve been that person myself, and it’s bad for everyone involved. You can’t fill your own emotional void with someone else’s love. That won’t get you through.” This message is clearly expressed through the song. The longing and torment is heard especially through Kristen crying out through her singing. This makes for a very emotional piece.
Kristen is very similar to artists such as Stevie Nicks or Carole King in the passion in which she sings and because of the similar folk/rock style her music is in. These are also both artist who write from a very personal and emotional place, which Kristen Rae Bowden excels in. There is a delicacy as well as a strength in which Kristen sings. She conveys how personal the song is through her lyricism and passion in her voice.
The music video for this song features lots of imagery from nature. Kristen embraces an earthy as well as vintage vibe as she showcases her song. The style of this music video contributes to defining the song as a folk song. It also adds to the spiritual element for the listening experience. The style in which she dresses creates an almost goddess-like presence for the artist. In the video, she reflects on her past where she used to crave marriage, but in the present, she has embraced her freedom and self love. She does this while standing on a mountain, representing the clarity and perspective she now has on the matter.
Irish alt-rocker Tadgh Billy King (pronounced like “Tiger” without the “er”) is a multi-faceted an actor, writer, director, a composer for theatre, and an award-winning classical singer. He didn’t set out to re-create the sound of frustrated punk rock in his song “sit and wait,” instead he’s unapologetically adding to the conversation through a modern lens with this new release. The result is a blistering, blunt and rousing ride through noisy hardcore, math-y punk and gazy walls of sound. At times brash, at times sublimely ethereal.
Tadgh’s immersive artistry speaks to its conception during times of deep introspection. His cathartic musicality spans post-punk, goth, noisy hardcore, and math-y punk, and is inspired by such artists as Bauhaus, Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi, Joy Division, Nirvana, Radiohead, and contemporary Irish bands such as Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital, Gilla Band and Just Mustard.
The video for “sit and wait” depicts Tadgh’s blunt outlook on the world that surrounds with us bright colors and moving images over stagnant objects that reveals the subtle undertones of confusion and frustration that sits with a lot of younger people today.
We got the chance to speak with Tadgh about a more in depth look into his music video. Watch and read below:
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
The song is trying to encapsulate a feeling, which seems to be pretty rampant among late-teen to early-to-mid twenty year olds. It’s a sort’ve existential dread that is hard to articulate. I think it comes from a recognition that there’s a lot of problems in the world today and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of clear, viable ways to fix them. So it can feel like people can find themselves sitting and waiting for something catastrophic to happen. While, at the same time, they’re just trying to figure out their own lives. The song is about that frustration. We are left discussing the things that disappoint us, but some of these things are completely out of our control. And then, sometimes, these discussions we have with each other can cause internal rifts within friendships and relationships.
With this video, I wanted to try and capture these feelings. I felt that by filming people in their late teens and early twenties moving through their own emotions and navigating relationships, while also projecting some weird, beautiful and disturbing imagery that falls within the themes I’m talking about in the song onto them, I could capture and convey this strange feeling we all have for our collective future.
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
I always thought that projection onto a body was really cool. There’s a really interesting theatre/dance company in Australia called Chunky Move and I remember watching a video for this piece they did called Mortal Engine and just being completely enamoured by it. My video is very different to that piece, but it sparked my interest in using projection onto people. I got a hold of a little projector and thought “this is perfect.”
I also really enjoy art that on the surface is really colourful, vibrant, attractive and interesting to watch, but if someone was to look deeper or read into it more they could start discovering multiple layers or narratives to the piece. In this video, try following the couples and seeing what narratives you put onto them from just the emotion you see on screen. What overall narrative or storyline jumps out at you when all the elements (the couples interacting, the emotional expressions from the performers, the lyrics and music, the images being projected) are combined? I know what I was trying to say with the song and video, but that doesn’t matter anymore. What’s really interesting to me is how my intention with the art isn’t important after a certain point. What really matters is what the audience or the viewers pick up and what they project (haha get it) onto the video.
Late in the process came the idea of adding the first scene of me coming into my room and the last scene of me waking up. This is part of a larger narrative that will unfold across my music, but you’ll just have to follow along to see where it goes.
What was the process of making this video?
When I decided that I wanted a lot of people for the video I just started asking my friends. Everyone you see in the video (all credited in the video description) are artists themselves who are either studying or working (or both) in Dublin and Ireland, creating work that helps to make the city and country more vibrant every day.
For the background video that was projected onto the performers I compiled footage of anything that was interesting to me and fit the vibe of the song. Then I messed around with the colours to make them more vibrant and built the video around the song.
I wrangled as many people as I could together and did a few takes with them in front of the camera and projection, trying out different things that I, or they, thought could be interesting. I directed them through different emotions, asked them to just stare deadpan into the camera, asked them to debate a few different things with each other (nothing incredibly serious), took them to extremes and just kinda had fun with it. Once everyone else was recorded I filmed myself singing the song. Ultimately, I wanted to let the imagery and people in my video do the talking. Editing it took a little bit of time, just because there was so much footage, but it was a very fruitful experience that allowed me to create something interesting to watch.
The lasting message I want this video to have is that despite life’s challenges, building a positive community and creating art that inspires you is the way forward. The making of this video itself is an example of that. I hope this inspires others to make cool art with the people around them.
In recent years, Jelly Kelly has consistently produced music that surpasses their previous work, showcasing their evolution as a band. Led by Keith Kelly, who is also a singer and guitarist in Monogold, Jelly Kelly started as a side project but has grown into a distinct entity. The band consists of Jared Apuzzo on drums, Nicolas Dube on guitar, and Dom Bodo on bass.
Their music combines melodic riffs and buzzing instrumentation to create a unique and nostalgic sound. Their latest video, “Vitamin D,” carries a specific theme of isolation and the relationship between imagination, confinement, and the outside world. The video, beautifully illustrated and animated by Brendan Sullivan, effectively captures the emotions and the blurred state between reality and self-imposed boundaries.
Watch “Vitamin D”
This track is part of their new EP, “Warm Water,” out today, June 2.
Listen to “Warm Water”
Jelly Kelly is renowned for their fusion of indie and rock aesthetics, which is evident in their latest artistic endeavor. The mix on their new EP “Warm Water” creates an open and spacious atmosphere, allowing room for the listener’s imagination to roam freely. The layered instrumentation laced throughout adds depth and provides a captivating backdrop to Keith Kelly’s precise and captivating vocal melodies. The band creates a diverse soundscape that emphasizes certain words and explores intriguing melodies. Keith Kelly’s vocals glide through the tracks with precision and intensity. With their alluring tones, the instruments pave the way for a mesmerizing musical experience that will leave you coming back for more. Recognized for their energetic live performances and their contribution to the ever-evolving Brooklyn sound, Jelly Kelly is poised to satisfy your musical cravings. Make sure not to miss their latest album, “Warm Water” available now.
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