Angharad Drake and her dulcimer first wandered into my life last Spring. The young Brisbane folk singer has a knack for writing music that is uplifting yet haunting at the same time. Her trembling voice coupled with tenderly plucked guitars relate stories of love lost and love that is yet to be discovered. There is a refinement to her craft that keeps her music free from spiraling into overly sappy hogwash yet manages to ensnare the listener with enough earnest and personal narrative to make for a compelling listen. This aesthetic is carried over to her new clip for Swing.
Brisbane folk singer Angharad Drake premieres her video for Swing. Shot on Super 8mm it captures the sweetness, wonder and promise of romance.
Released from last year’s EP of the same name, Swing is a tale of desire and longing. As the opening track to the EP it serves as an effective introduction to Angharad and an EP centred around themes of affection and the regret that festers within long after the dust on a relationship has settled. The harmonies on the line “If I could be anything I’d be your darling lying here always. If I could do anything, I’d be swinging my hand in your hand again” is incredibly sweet. It sounds like something a kid with a fresh crush would say, but within that lyric is the promise and hope that lies in any blossoming romance. It’s a jubilant feeling and it is one that is displayed in full effect here.
Directed by Danny McShane the video for Swing is a fairly simple one but gets the message across nonethelses. A look at McShane’s previous work shows this is something he excels at. Shot on Kodak 50D Super 8mm film Swing has a nostalgic quality that plays up the romance. The clip is full of sequences of Angharad alone in the wilderness, which thematically may seem at odds with the themes of the song. However the lonely figure of Angharad amongst fields, the beach and forests plays up the longing in the song, as if these are the places you’re supposed to spend with your sweetheart.
The thematic duality mentioned earlier comes into play with numerous shots of waves violently crashing into rocks and flocks of birds flying away from the camera. The idea of love being both a bringer of joy and pain is subtly played with in this respect. Having elements of the natural world represent such ideas is a nice touch as nothing is as unforgiving and scathing as mother nature.
Be sure to check out young Miss Drake’s socials for all her latest touring info!
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