Video Debut: Superhumanoids’ Persona

The sounds that emerge from the clear red vinyl of Superhumanoids‘ Urgency EP feel like home. It’s the kind of music that instantly puts your nerves at ease on a long nighttime drive, striking a perfect balance between shoegazing coziness and dreamy danceability. Superhumanoids are not only an impossibly charming L.A. indie pop quartet, but also one of my favorite new bands this year– so it is with great honor that I present to you the exclusive world-wide debut of their brand new music video!

Watch the wistful and hilarious “Persona” above, and then read on for an interview with razor-sharp director Eli Gunn-Jones!

Where did the idea behind “Persona” stem from?

Oftentimes I prefer my videos to echo the theme or premise of the song, or at the very least have some sort of tangential relationship to the track. After talking with Cameron for a bit about what Persona meant to him–how it was conceived, the writing process, etc– I let it float around my head for a while. I kept coming back to the idea of surveillance, of trying to encapsulate or define another through a wide swath of observations both traditional and unusual. Trying to understand somebody’s core without any personal interaction. The other elements like the 70s attire, vintage recording gear, his car, those were all stylistic choices to better engage the audience and create a fuller, more complete world.

How was casting? Was it challenging to find such a perfect man for the part of the perfect man?

We were so fortunate with our cast. My producer and I scoured the LA casting sites for a few weeks in search of our man, as well as his girlfriend in the restaurant. I knew I wanted a big, powerful looking guy with a mustache, but I was nervous that we’d only find those infamous middle age actor types holding on to the dream of becoming famous long after they need to let go. But Martin was a dream. He’s a doctor and USC professor who holds multiple degrees and essentially acts for the fun of it. It’s a lark for him. He came to the second day of shooting absolutely giddy because that morning his team had just made a breakthrough on their HPV research. It was like, “Congratulations on the great news Martin, but it’s time to undress and stare off into the distance in your speedo now.”

Kyle, our 70s guy, is a good friend of mine from school. He’s supremely talented and I knew I wanted him from the start. He couldn’t really turn me down because it would have ruined our friendship and nobody wants to have an awkward encounter at a party.

Tell us a little bit about how the video came together. How long did it take to shoot? Did you have a hard time securing locations? How many people were on the crew?

As is the case with a majority of music videos today, this was super low budget. The tent location is a dilapidated lot near my friend’s place in Glassell Park that I was always intrigued by. Kids go there to get drunk, homeless people use it sometimes, a few meth heads came by while we were prepping for the night scene. But there are such beautiful houses all around it! We didn’t get permits for the site, or any location we used. Just a lot of legwork asking to shoot somebody’s place of business for free or very cheap. My producer was great in that regard.

The crew worked so hard, they knocked it out of the park. We had three in camera department, plus art direction and production design. Along with me and the producer. So seven in all at our peak. Nobody got paid, and at times it was a total shitshow–we had two generators running well past midnight in a residential neighborhood to power all that gear in the tent and obviously got a noise complaints. Just as we’re prepping the final shot, which required Martin to stand over Kyle practically nude, a cop car pulls up. By the tail end of an 18 hour day, I think the crew was just rolling their eyes. But we got our shot! Police can be very understanding sometimes.

How did the band feel about doing the video as a narrative, without appearing in it themselves?

The band not appearing in the video was a result of circumstance, as one member was out of the country when we shot. But I took that into account when conceiving the premise and everything. The band was happy to not appear in the video, assuming it fits the aesthetic and can “keep up” with the music, so to speak.

Do you plan on making more videos soon—either for Superhumanoids, or other bands?

I’m trying to navigate the ever-shrinking music video and commercial world and reach a point where I can make it my only job. The business side is stressful at times but I love these projects and knew it was the direction I wanted to go after school. I’m writing as many treatments as possible and have a few potential followups to Persona that are very exciting. I’m in touch with a couple groups and I’m a huge fan of their stuff, so the inner music dweeb in me is squealing. I love the collaborative process with other artists, the creative potential that comes with each song, all of that.

What are your top five music videos?

“Sabotage“, Beastie Boys. Dir Spike Jonze. Easily my favorite. I love all of Spike’s stuff, I could go on forever about his Fatlip, Pharcyde, Weezer videos. But Sabotage in particular is the perfect video in my eyes. Total control over tone and pace. He nails the homage aspect without it ever flirting with corny pastiche. You can feel how crazy the shoot was, all the manic energy comes through so well. It’s visceral.

“Tonight, Tonight“, Smashing Pumpkins. Dir Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. I watched this incessantly growing up. It’s captivating. All the references to Lumiere Bros’ “A Trip to the Moon” are wonderful. Every time I watch it I’m transported back to how awed I felt seeing it as a 10 year old. Beautiful story, beautifully shot, and embarrassingly enough I’ve watched this on repeat for an hour straight more than once.

“Signatune,” DJ Mehdi (T. Bangalter edit). Dir Romain Gavras. This video draws you into the world it effortlessly creates. It’s stylish but unobtrusive. It toes the line between being a video that supports the song and a self-contained narrative story with a perfectly suited soundtrack. Both the song and the video benefit from the other, I guess is what I’m trying to say.

“Gravel Pit,” Wu Tang Clan. Dir Joseph Kahn. It takes an imagination greater than mine to envision anybody who does not love this. Wu. The elevator intro. Flintstones outfits. Ridiculous CGI dinosaurs. It has that mid-90s music video flair (and budget). I really respect Wu Tang for the way they tweaked and played with their image but still managed to always be the coolest dudes out there from any angle. This video is one of many moments that proves it.

“It Don’t Move Me,” Peter Bjorn & John. Dir Andreas Nilsson. I love this video because it makes me want to create a backstory for these characters. I’m drawn in to their relationship, what their day-to-day lives are like. Is that his well-off uncle who’s far too supportive of his nephew? Is the kid preparing for a dance competition? You can see the man drawing his own confidence from the kid’s certainty in himself and his dancing. Some fantastic details here.

Excuse the cheating, but I’ve also been watching Mark Ronson’s “Bang Bang Bang” by Warren Fu and Hot Chip’s “I Feel Better” by Peter Serafinowicz quite a bit. Lots of great videos coming out these days, people are getting more creative to compensate for the increasing restrictions that come with making a video.