We are very honoured to bring you a first look at the new video from chanteuse extraordinaire, Melbourne’s Anna Smyrk, for her recent release ‘The Runner’.
Earlier this month, we said ‘The Runner’ is a swiftly-paced anthem – filled with a hyper kinetic energy and an indelible melody. There is almost a shoegaze wall of sound to the instrumentation while Smyrk’s vocals have a contrasting softness that shines through the mix. The result has all the trademark elements of Smyrk’s craft: a thunderous instrumentation and a powerful delivery with a poetic lyricism that shines brightly.
Now Smyrk is releasing a video that captures the rich, luscious sounds of the song and crafts an opulent red-velvet inflected boudoir of theatricality and effervescence, utilising a palette of vibrant colours around a dramatic, expressive performance .
Created by cinematographer Nayomi Pattuwage at Heaps Stoked Productions, it tells the tale of an escapologist. Pattuwage says:
We played with the concept of constriction and the art of escape; Anna became our representation of Houdini’s Vanishing Elephant. She was up for anything during filming and really trusted the process,
considering that we tied her to a chair the second she walked on set!
Smyrk adds:
This video was super fun to make. A lot of thought went into the planning, but on the day of the shoot, we really gave ourselves permission not to take it all too seriously. The song is kind of cheeky and we wanted to capture that vibe. There were so many takes we had to cut because one or all of us cracked up.
The sense of unabandoned fun exudes from every shot, and Smyrk’s performance is as joyous and sparkling as the colours bursting forth. ‘The Runner’ is a kind of track that induces a type of synesthesia perfectly captured by the video with its vibrancy and shimmer:
‘The Runner’ is out now and available to stream and download here.
The track comes off Smyrk’s forthcoming album ‘Cortisol and Blue Light’ out Thursday 27 April via MGM and recorded between Nashville and Melbourne with Jake Finch and Collin Pastore. Smyrk says the album:
…a collection of songs about fight or flight, the feeling of being pushed and pulled at the same time
Smyrk is also about to embark on an extensive tour in Australia and Germany:
Saturday 1 April
Supporting Birds of Tokyo
Sip & Savour Lake Macquarie
Speers Point, Lake Macquarie NSW
Friday 28 April
Workers Club, Melbourne
8:30pm
Friday 5 May
Ipswich Civic Centre, Ipswich QLD
8pm
German Tour – May – June 2023
Friday 19 May – Volksbad, Madgeburg
Saturday 20 May – Savoy, Bordesholm
Monday 22 May – Tonfink, Lübeck
Tuesday 23 May – Kaufbar, Braunschweig
Wednesday 24 May – nFilou, Steinhude
Thursday 25 May – Deichdiele, Hamburg
Friday 26 May – Lagerhalle, Osnabrück
Saturday 27 May – Jazz Lev, Leverkusen
Tuesday 30 May – Alte Utting, Munich
Wednesday 31 May – Alte Brauerei, Annaberg
Thursday 1 June – Mora Bar, Dresden
Friday 2 June – Bahnhof Open Air, Kötzting
Saturday 3 June – Hafen 2, Offenbach
Sunday 4 June – Haus Am See, Nuremberg
Monday 5 June – Live Club, Bamberg
Feature Photograph: Jeff Andersen Jnr
