Elika recently began the 7" trilogy with Girls, Be Serious (One Of Three), and today debuts the analogue light parade made by Saint Marie Records chief Wyatt Parkins for the video presentation "Moving Faster". With the B-side "Bury" getting play around the offices, the visualization for the A-side gives Eva, Khaya, Brian, Andrew and Erik's kinetic-electric indie pop a bright sensory serving of night motions blended with the shift of seasons and time.
Visual equalizers move to the beats across spectrums that bring television tube images of Elika's Eva and Brian closer to the viewer's eye. Scanlines scroll upward in time to the lyrics of "moving faster, never turning back", while utility night lights stream past like midnight car rides along city streets and the halogen light show of dense interstates. Pop art circular dots and rectangular images of Eva move forward, as Wyatt plays with shutter speed times that showcase everything from slow motion glass shattered shards to a hovering hummingbird in mid-flight. Taking liberties with abstract neon light patterns and layers, the video completely adjusts into settings of the natural on the song's closing chapter that begins with Eva's commencement of, "Time is running out…" From here those pop art circles encompass the images of tree, the colors of autumn, the rich blues of a butterfly, ladybugs, and warm new beginnings to underscore the earnest expressions in lyrics like, "I won't give up if you don't".
We had a brief opportunity to catch up with Elika's multi-instrumentalist Brian and Saint Marie operator/visual artist Wyatt to talk about the single, and the visual interpretive translation.
Thoughts and insights behind and about recording the Girls, Be Serious 7" trilogy?
Brian: Girls, Be Serious was tracked and recorded at Electric Blue Studios, and it came together quite quickly. It all began with the backup vocals to 'Bury'. We asked our friend Andrew, who is now in the band along with Khaya, to sing like he was a synth. Those layered vocals set the foundation for GBS.
Are these singles leading up to a future full-length?
B: While songs from the singles might be included on a future full-length, as of now they are being looked at as a complete work in themselves.
Why Girls, Be Serious, and not Girls, Be Cavalier?
B: 'Girls, Be Serious' is a direct quote from Eva’s mom.
Wyatt, tell us about your approach of matching a kind of 80s analogue kinetic approach to Elika's "Moving Faster", and the challenges of framing different visual cuts, and time elapsed effects?
Wyatt: This was only my second full-length video attempt, the first being 'LSD' by Keith Canisius, and I am happy with my growth between the first and second. For whatever reason, I got stuck in my head the image of a static-filled television struggling to obtain a signal, any signal. I used it as a metaphor for the emotional struggle I felt in the lyrics and music. The biggest challenge was the dramatic change in tone about three-fourths of the way through the song and how to match this visually while still having some symmetry with the first portion of the song. I worked in conjunction with the band to obtain footage of Eva singing and Brian playing guitar for the video, as they are located in Brooklyn and I in Fort Worth. 40 plus hours later… you have a visual interpretation of 'Moving Faster'.
Girls, Be Serious is available now from Saint Marie Records.
