Part emotional hellscape, part nefarious ritual, the debut clip from Dive Bell is a downright piece of art.
After solidifying their quartet a short ten months ago, Dive Bell have carved their own unique niche playing with names such as PARTY DOZEN, Body Type, and Jonti. They’ve also attracted the attention of Jezabels producer Lachlan Mitchell, who collaborated on the studio sessions that birthed Undercover.
Bathed in red, we crawl through an industrial techno wasteland at the feet of a woman. There’s a chain on our neck. This is Dive Bell’s Undercover.
The first ever clip from Dive Bell is a creative exploration of pleasure and pain, intimacy and the cinematic, the intoxicating and the elegiac.
Pop-infused lyrics soaked in retrospection glue the song together. Combined with slo-mo reveals and the destructive theme of romantic power, it amounts to some absolutely stunning stills that’ll make your jaw drop.
Heartbreak wrecks us all and director Jos Eastwood captures this exquisitely, stating:
“I was thinking about break up songs as a concept, structuring that chaotic headspace into a concise sonic framework to offer a cathartic purge. I likened that to a ritual. From a morning coffee to the communal ceremonies, we all use rituals to realign ourselves.”
Women are in power here and the alluring dominatrix stands as regal as Cleopatra, commanding the heartbroken soul and spirit of her ex-lover.
It’s the final frame that turns the clip around, exploring also the mental torture we submit ourselves to after love is lost.
It’s dark in all the most beautiful ways and their live performances have the power and transcendence to match. Dive Bell are certainly an act to watch.
Dive Bell live
Wed 3 Oct – Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney – Details
Sun 11 Nov – Newtown Festival, Sydney – Details
Video Credits
Talent 1: Heather Devine
Talent 2: David Huggins
Director: Jos Eastwood
DOP: Jack Saltmiras
1st AC: Bonnie Chai
Gaffer: Nathan Grant
Styling: Heather Devine
Jewellery: Venice Rish / Venice Jewellery
