Back in 2015, Orchid Mantis introduced himself to us with warm, fuzzy pop songs about forgetting. The synth-driven pop music he produced at the time was smothered in noise and reverb, surrounded by ambience thicker than the fog in Silent Hill. He's still been producing music in a similar vein since, but he's also sought to remove some of the clearer elements of his music with his upcoming album, Holograph Tapes Vol. 1. Instead of pop music smothered in analog warmth, Holograph Tapes is pure ambience.
It makes a lot of sense considering just how good he is at crafting atmosphere, and his new single, "The Sky Is Empty," offers a good example of what to expect from the full release. Produced concurrently with his more traditional output, the album provides a closer look at what fills the silence in his songs. To coincide with the release of the first single, he's shared a video which matches the texture of what the song accomplishes perfectly.
Speaking over email, he explained, "Constructed from a droning instrumental loop & repeating, reversing shards of guitar, the track is intended to evoke the feeling of long drives in the night and the nostalgic process of reflection that often goes with it. The video, directed by Joseph Skillas, was shot on VHS in the night as we visited graveyards and train-tracks near my hometown. It is intentionally obscured and low-lit in accordance with this theme of nighttime; choppy and disorienting like a faint memory or a half-recalled dream."
Watch the premiere of the video above, and read more about Orchid Mantis here.
