Much has been said in recent months about the Baltimore DIY scene and how, like Brooklyn and other quickly gentrifying urban areas, racial demographics seem to be segregated along musical lines as well as economic. While answers to these deep-rooted socioeconomic questions may be near-impossible to answer on a systemic level, one place these lines can become blurred is on the dance floor. Or in the case of Blacksage‘s new video: in the basement.
“Basement Vows” marks the first official video from the Baltimore duo, and sees Josephine Olivia and Drew Scott performing for a club (basement?) full of people seemingly unaware that the song’s melancholy chorus isn’t as hopeful as the beat suggests (“I want to love you, but I need to love you more”). Filmed and directed by Joshua Emmitt Nielson at Baltimore’s Reverb, the track is from their recently released Friends Records EP of the same name. Much like the album, Blacksage’s MPC-heavy dance groove is on full display in the video, with the focus shifting between the club scene and the band as Olivia’s—who is also in the Annapolis band Softeyes—sultry vocals keeps the viewer deeply entranced.
You can watch Blacksage’s “Basement Vows” video above, and stream the EP below.
Blacksage will be debuting the video live on November 7 at Kahlon’s two-year anniversary, which will also feature a performance by Abdu Ali and DJ sets by Dan Deacon and Angel Baby.
