Our Inspiration
Our concepts, narratives and cinematography elements are catered to and inspired by our younger pre-existing audience, as many fans believe releasing a music video helps drive traffic as well as an understanding of the music they enjoy listening to. Thankfully, that’s where we can help.
As an indie/alternative music fan, I personally find that music is a product of art, which doesn’t only serve a purpose to ‘sound good’, but it also creates a sense of verisimilitude to everyday life as well as the hardships in different relationships which we face. These elements are especially specific to a coming-of-age genre, as it is conventionally presented as a time of conquering difficulties within academic backgrounds and standards of beauty and intelligence, as well as the changes within our growth and the seeking/desire for relationships as a teenager.
It is important to us, as the producers and directors of our latest original music video, for us to involve a sense of relatability through the visuals included, as many listeners of The Shoals feel a connection through the harsh, realistic topics discussed in the lyrics. As the lyrics and every single element are a reality to many, it’s our duty to showcase realistic representations rather than a romanticised illusion of growing older in modern-day society (especially through your teenage years).
Representation Of Adolescence
The people involved in performing and editing of the music video are all teenagers – this ensures that we can seamlessly embed universal representations which are recognisable to anyone. Within the mainstream and indie routes of media, the theme and discourse surrounding teenagers and their ‘misunderstood’ era has been exhausted. However, many teenagers feel a sense of verisimilitude whilst watching and listening to products that are placed in the coming-of-age genre. We believe that within many mainstream products teenagers repeat the pattern of being portrayed as overly moody, scandalous and troublesome. This is due to the patterns of fragmented and simplistic representations of older stereotypes and media products.
However, our writing style of lyrics and topics mentioned (drug abuse, unhealthy relationships and self- growth in order to salvage relationships which you hold close to you) serves as a disruption to the negative conceptions regarding growing up. Therefore, in the music video, we have ensured a range of emotions, locations and character roles, as it’s important to us to create a listener base who will relate.
Anything MV - The Shoals 