Special Interest release striking new music video and sign with Rough Trade Records for next album.
New Orleans based punk group Special Interest have released a striking video for ‘Street Pulse Beat,’ a song featured on their LP ‘The Passion Of’ that was released a year ago. The video features a poem, ‘Unlivable (Mourning Fog)’ by vocalist and frontperson Alli Logout, spoken over scenes of greenery and providing a sharp contrast with the moody visuals of the second part of the video. The project was shot in historic punk house Nowe Miasto, which in Logout’s words ‘housed many Black artists and accomplices until a fire marshal shut it down in 2014.’ The group built the sets for the video themselves from scratch after gutting the space.
Logout also directed the video, providing a manifesto behind the concept, titled ‘N this place { A Note On The Visual Conspiracy Of Street Pulse Beat }’. In it, they describe the importance of creating possibility through ‘the rejection of the recuperation of Black culture, the rejection of the homogenizing force of all institutions, the rejection of individualism and most importantly the rejection of peace.’ During a brief companion interview, the creators revealed how a bitcoin wallet helped fund portions of the project, underscoring their commitment to circumventing traditional systems. They went on to state that ‘We celebrate through this urgent form of cinema, turning away from what is seen towards what is felt,’ crediting ‘the collaboration of the artists seen on screen’ in the production of the project.
The group will be touring across the US this September, appearing at Pitchfork Festival alongside other venues in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Brooklyn, for which tickets are available now. Rough Trade Records have signed the group for the production of their next record, with details to be released at a later date.
Tune in now.
Words: Sasha Mills
Photo Credit: Jess Garten
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