After a string of visually striking and concept driven singles, Reeya Banerjee brings things home both literally and figuratively with the music video for “Upstate Rust,” the fourth and final release ahead of her upcoming album This Place set for release on August 22nd, 2025.
Filmed at Lorien Sound in Brooklyn, the video captures Banerjee and her band The Merseyside Darby in their natural habitat – laughing, sweating and absolutely living inside the music.
Unlike the stylized visuals of her previous singles, this video opts for raw honesty and full band energy, spotlighting the chemistry, connection and joy that fuel Banerjee’s live performances.
It’s a fitting choice for a track that closes the album with heart and clarity.
We sat down with Reeya to talk about the story behind the song, and the decision to film a stripped down performance.
1. Tell us the story of this song – why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
Upstate Rust is the closing track on my album This Place, and in many ways, it’s the emotional resolution.
It’s a song about leaving a place you’ve loved – not with regret, but with trust, love and a little bit of fear. It’s about grown-up decisions, emotional survival and believing that what you’ve built can last, even when the geography changes.
The three singles before this had quirky, stylized videos – animation, photo essays, rogue guerrilla no-permit filming in Grand Central.
With Upstate Rust, I wanted to do something totally different. I wanted to showcase my band, The Merseyside Darby, because this song feels like a full-band anthem. Even though they didn’t record it with me originally, they’ve learned it, owned it, and made it their own.
This video is a celebration of that live energy – of how much fun we have together in the room. It’s the first time we’re all on screen together, and it felt like the right way to bring this song to life.
2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
The inspiration was really simple: let’s just show the band being the band. Upstate Rust is a big, reverb-heavy, U2-flavored banger, and it’s also my favorite song on the record. We wanted to show what it actually feels like to play it together – no gimmicks, no heavy storyline, just real joy and connection.
We shot the video at Lorien Sound in Brooklyn, which is a studio run by my lead guitarist James Rubino and his business partners Austin Birdy and Jack Quigley. Our rehearsal space is the live room at the studio, and Jack also directed the video. We pumped the master track through the PA and performed it together thirteen times – close-ups of everyone, wide shots of the room, no lip-sync fakery, just full-out playing.
Jack’s footage captured our chemistry and the joy we feel making music together. Luke Folger, our drummer (also my creative partner, co-writer, and the producer and composer for the record) is a beast on drums and has a smile that could light up a room. He’s a full-on beam of sunshine.
There’s a moment where I’m singing along with Daria Klotz, my bass player, and we’re just in the moment together. I’ve known her for ten years – we’ve sung in harmony together in so many bar bands and performances and other contexts, and it was lovely to capture that shared history on camera.
Sam Levine is our rhythm guitarist and the newest member of the band. He’s incredibly talented and smart, and a bit shy – but by the end of the shoot, he was rocking out and singing along, and it was just so endearing to watch him come into his own.
My favorite part is in the final chorus where James and I are literally jumping up and down together. We’ve also known each other for ten years – he’s my ride-or-die best friend. It felt like having a dance party with my little brother. Neither of us are spring chickens – we both have bad knees – so it was probably a terrible idea, but we couldn’t resist. At one point, James’s hat flew off mid-jump and he kicked it toward Sam, who had to duck to avoid being beaned in the face. We could not stop laughing. I’m almost sad that moment didn’t make the final cut.
3. What was the process of making the video?
This was honestly one of the most fun and relaxed shoots I’ve ever done. We met at Lorien Sound, and Jack set up a click track for Luke so we could stay locked in with the master. Then we ran the song thirteen times – two close-up takes for each band member, and three full-room passes to capture the in-between moments and the group dynamic.
The goal wasn’t perfection – it was connection. We weren’t trying to make a slick, overly produced performance video – but that said, what Jack delivered is the most polished of the four videos I’ve made to support the singles from This Place.
We wanted to show what it actually feels like to rehearse this song: sweaty, joyful, slightly chaotic, and deeply connected.
I think that comes through in the video.
Find out more about Reeya Banerjee on her Website
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