As the perfect accompaniment, Dust of Us have unveiled the music video for the 2019 single ‘The Swans’. Directed by Thomas Calder (also known as Daggy Man), the video plays on the textures and emotions present through the song. Sombre and melancholy, Thomas Calder focused on drawing inspiration from the song to create an abstract clip.
“My first impulse when listening to the song was that it evoked really strong images of straight lines, colour and water. I wanted to somehow connect these concepts in an abstract but still interesting way. I was also drawn to the intersection of organic textures mixed with more distorted, digital manipulations, and how I could make those two distinct things collaborate and mix in a cohesive way.” - Thomas Calder
Released in March last year, ‘The Swans’ was the debut single for Dust of Us, a duo formed by brothers Ed and Lloyd Prescott. As an introduction, it sets the tone for what we can expect from the pairing. It’s dark and brooding but juxtaposed with sweet melodics to create an atmosphere of melancholy. The gentle electronic harmonies help to build a layered and all-in-all mesmerising track.
These same emotions are conveyed in Thomas Calder’s visual interpretation of the song. Taking real footage of the Dust of Us duo and overlapping itdistorting them, animating them; all kinds of experimentation to create an abstract art piece. The hues of green, navy blue and pink suit the song perfectly. This captivating video clip flows with the song, the movement of animation, lines and colours is paced to match the songs tone completely. The whole piece is entirely cohesive.
“Daggy Man is one of my favourite Australian artists,” says Ed Prescott. “Thomas Calder is a polymath - his songwriting unique and achingly beautiful, but he’s also a talented photographer and animator who makes his own music videos. He hasn't made that many videos for other artists, so I’m honoured he agreed to do this one for us.”
Thomas Calder’s treatment of ‘The Swans’ shows the power of good video creation, and also how a synchronous music video and song can come together to make something special.
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