From electronic soundscapes to cinematic landscapes, Canadian musician Apollo Rising explores the breadth of his artistry in the new music video for Passengers.
Apollo Rising has released the music video for Passenger, offering a technicoloured accompaniment to the singer’s 2021 single. Directed by David Sklubal, the video follows Apollo Rising — known offstage as Danick Coutu — as he channel surfs on vintage TVs and sings atop city skylines at sunset.
The clip flits between warm campfire-bound scenes to jump-cuts of Apollo’s burial, an apt visual reflection of the song’s vast spectrum of emotions.
Elsewhere in the clip, Apollo meets up with a muse in grassy forest retreats in between trips to a rooftop and a dimly-lit session in the bathtub. “The video tells the story through a contrast of flashy bright visuals and dark moody landscapes,” Apollo’s press statement reads. “The different soundscapes are intended to represent the character’s various emotions throughout their experience of grief, denial, and suffering.”
Passenger itself showcases a sonic palette equally as expansive as its accompanying visuals, with Apollo’s range as both a vocalist and electronic producer on full display with a pop-leaning songwriting structure. “Though the burden is heavy,” he sings rhythmically amid distorted vocals, “But it’s just the passenger within.” Watch the music video for Apollo Rising’s Passengers below.
Apollo’s masterful timing of specific lyrics in keeping with the production aligns with that of Twenty One Pilots and The Neighborhood, two acts whom he cites as key influences. Passenger first arrived in 2019, the same year as Apollo’s fellow single Say It. Elsewhere, the Canadian musician shared his biggest hit Sanctuary in 2018, and released his debut EP Here Before in 2021.
More recently, Apollo shared a string of singles last year, including Throne in March and Shallow Waters in July. As for what’s next, Apollo’s sophomore EP Maybe In Another Life is set for release sometime this year. Listen to Apollo Rising’s Passenger below, and keep an eye out for future drops towards the latter half of 2023.
