Let’s explore the music video “Sunrise Highway” by Perry Street Park and their collaboration with animator Maggie.
Queensland-based band Perry Street Park has released their latest single, “Sunrise Highway,” which celebrates the joy of road-tripping with a nostalgic and sunlit sound. The band recently sat down with their friend and collaborator Maggie, who is currently animating the music video for the single.
In the interview, Perry Street Park delves into their collaboration with Maggie, exploring how the visual arts reflect and complement their music. The interview also delves into Maggie’s origin story and her art style and approach.
Maggie reveals that her love for cartoons since childhood inspired her to draw and eventually try animation. The collaboration on the “Sunrise Highway” music video has been a joyous process for her, and creating the characters has been the most exciting part.
The band and Maggie discuss the challenges of timing the animation’s movements while keeping them fluid and playful.
Perry Street Park: Germ! Thanks for sitting down with us! You’ve established yourself as a successful artist in the Brisbane scene over the past few years, working on a multitude of projects whether on your own or collaboratively, but we’d love to know your origin story. Where and how did it all begin?
Maggie: Thank you for having me! I guess I have always been creating things and making art since I was a kid. I left highschool with no ideas of what I would do, So I worked for a while and would draw any chance I got.
I ended up going to Tafe for a diploma of visual art and then managed to enter in an art show in 2020. From there it just snowballed in a good way haha.
Perry Street Park: From there, how did animation find its way into the mix?
Maggie: I have always loved cartoons, not going to lie, that’s most of what I still watch today haha. I think watching them when I was little is what inspired me to draw characters in the first place. I have always seen the characters I make move in my head so I thought I’d give it a go.
I’m nowhere near the standard of my favorite cartoons but maybe one day I will get there. The first animation I did was a music video for one of my friends. I kind of threw myself in the deep end unknowingly but I learnt a lot along the way.
Perry Street Park: So we’re currently collaborating on a music video for our single “Sunrise Highway” that features some pretty gnarly character design. What has been the most difficult part to navigate in the process of it all?
Maggie: YEEE! Thanks again for letting me be a part of this project!
It has been so fun creating these characters with you guys! The story is definitely right up my alley and I’m so excited to share it with you once it’s ready!
I’d say the most difficult thing I’ve come across so far has to be the timing of the animations. Making sure that the movement is fluid enough without spending forever and a day doing one second’s worth haha!
Perry Street Park: What has been the most exciting part about the process thus far?
Maggie: Definitely creating the characters! Figuring out their individual personalities and how they act in the story.
Perry Street Park: How would you describe your art style and approach?
Maggie: Hmmmm I always struggle with this question, I would say that I like to make things that are playful and a bit chaotic. I’m drawn to weird characters and dysfunctional settings, don’t ask me why I have no idea bahaha.
Perry Street Park: Who are your biggest influences?
Maggie:: I’m super inspired by cartoon artists like Skottie Young and Jamie Hewlett. At the moment I am super interested in older movie poster paintings.
There are so many Brisbane artists that deeply inspired me to put my work out there, people like Phoebe Paradise, Kezamine, Dript, Over it Man the list could go on forever.
Perry Street Park: Speaking of influences, who would be the dream collab?
Maggie: Oooooooooh, that’s tough….. There are so many people I’d love to just sit with and pick their brains. I think the ultimate collab for me would have to be with Thurop Van Orman. He is the creator of my favorite show growing up called, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. I’d love to ask him questions and make characters and stories with him.
Perry Street Park’s collaboration with Maggie promises to be an intriguing and visually stunning venture. The animated music video for “Sunrise Highway” is set to showcase Maggie’s playful and chaotic art style, which draws inspiration from weird characters and dysfunctional settings. Stay tuned here.
