Adelaide-based artist My Cherie has unveiled the official video for ‘Box of Pencils’, the focus single from her 2025 EP Life is Short & Life is Long. Directed by Bryce Kraehenbuehl, the visual extends the emotional terrain of the track, building a narrative centred on identity, expectation and self-definition.
Moving across different eras and symbolic spaces, the video follows a single soul navigating lives that never fully align with their internal truth. Kraehenbuehl describes the concept as emerging directly from the emotional weight of the song, shaped around the idea of someone living within structures that feel imposed rather than chosen.
For My Cherie, the release represents a deliberate act of vulnerability. “‘Box of Pencils’ was the most vulnerable song I’d written and one I almost didn’t release,” she explains. Rather than prioritising accessibility, the decision was made to foreground emotional clarity, allowing the song’s themes to remain intact within the visual interpretation.
The video draws from her lived experience as a queer woman raised in a Christian environment, exploring the cultural and generational forces that shape personal identity. Scenes set within religious spaces carry particular resonance, connecting individual experience with a broader historical context.
Produced entirely within Adelaide, the project reflects a collaborative local effort, with cinematography by Johanis and costume design by Lucinda contributing to its visual coherence. Kraehenbuehl notes that My Cherie’s performance was central to the project’s impact, shaped by her willingness to channel personal experience into the role.
The video’s closing sequence shifts tone, presenting My Cherie as a painter, suggesting a movement toward self-determination. It offers resolution without finality, reinforcing the EP’s broader exploration of growth, time and acceptance.
‘Box of Pencils’ is available now, with Life is Short & Life is Long continuing to establish My Cherie’s voice within Australia’s independent music landscape.
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