Every single song and video that Gang Of Youths have released thus far from their upcoming album, Angel In Realtime, has been a triumphant and downright cathartic statement on loss and grieving. The death of singer Dave Le’aupepe’s father is central to the songwriting themes of the new album (due out February 25th) and he guides his way through the pain in these songs in powerful ways. “I was the loser at your funeral, no emotion conveyed,” he sings on “In The Wake Of Your Leave.” The song was released earlier this month and now a spectacular accompanying video has arrived.
In the Joel Barney-directed clip for “In the Wake Of Your Leave,” Le’aupepe does his best Gene Kelly impression. He dances his way through a village as people join him in the choreography. It’s as if the dance number is conveying that while Le’aupepe is grieving by himself, there’s a world around him that affects how he navigates the accompanying emotions. Finding beauty in everyday occurrences is what helps guide him through sorrow, and it’s a wonderful visual interpretation of the song.
Barney explained the vision behind the video’s aesthetic:
“When I first heard the track, I knew the video had to be larger-than-life. Dave came to me with a ‘Singing in the Rain’ meets ‘Top Hat’ concept that paid homage to the great musicals of the ’50s and ’60s. We wanted to merge elements of old school Hollywood with a modern edge.
Using three long takes and the musical-like choreography gave the video a real theatrical feel. I knew Dave was a brilliant performer from working together previously, but we wanted to push him even further outside of his comfort zone. Of course, he nailed it.”
Watch the video for “In The Wake Of Your Leave” above.
Angel In Realtime is out 2/25 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.
Gang Of Youths is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.