Smoke Season, LA based duo of “Dustbowl Soul” fused with the right amount of synth-alternative spice, invite us to take a seductive journey through their minds with their latest video release to the song “Opaque” off the Hot Coals and Cold Souls EP, released this July.
Scott Fleishman’s (director) interpretation of the song visually is a work of art that goes hand in hand with this beautifully constructed song. The video starts off with a tantalizing guitar that eases your eyes from several reflective shots of Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen, separately sulking in their milk bath’s, to each of them swimming underwater.
Wortman’s soft and alluding voice is as inviting as the way she casually swirls her flowered dress in the cloudy bath. Not only does this constant repetition lead one to admire the beautiful shots this video delivers, but how stimulating it is to the mind of the contradicting and selective honesty we each have of ourselves.
Rosen and Wortman’s initial visual display of the hall of mirrors, shows the duo staring at their many sides, this time without any “smoke” in view, weaved into the chorus that exhibits so much strength, it had to be followed by absolutely tranquility, which is one of my favorite shots of Rosen splashing into the water and only his feet visible as he treads along.
The song itself has lots of elements to it, a talent I believe that Smoke Season can pull off in each one of their tracks, with that said, the video picks up on each one of these elements. Within the video there was one shot that wasn’t repeated that drew me in closer to the song than the video. It was when Wortman is on a bed staring at herself, each one in a different movement. Something that I think they purposely decided to only show once.
Of course, the video picks up on the higher tempo in the song and Wortman’s powerful voice right before it switches up to the end.
Rosen mouthing over Wortman’s vocals, as he stares at her in a masquerade mask, gives me chills each time, “You aint getting me, you aint getting me,” chimes over till the full circle of tranquility towards the end of the song. Each one submerges into their milky bath’s into clarity and neither resurface by the end of the song. It’s like watching a lustful lover slowly sink but being so engulfed in the visual aspect and denying temptation.
My hat’s off to all who were responsible in the making of the video and of course to Wortman and Rosen for exuding the best of themselves into the song and the video.
If you haven’t yet discovered Smoke Season, do yourself a favor and submerge with the dual nature of Opaque.
Who knew milk could look so sexy and have so much meaning?
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