A few days ago Wonderboom released of the music video for “Praying Mantis” (their latest single). The song is taken from their latest album (Rising Sun).
The music video for “Praying Mantis” was shot on location at Phoenix Studios in Johannesburg and Llundudno Beach in Cape Town and the video captures the ethereal feel of the song perfectly.
“We wanted to write an animated fantasy story, capturing the tragedy of falling for a femme fatale, but also depicting her sadness in the choruses. It’s the realisation that your demise is inevitable and although she has to do it, she still feels devasted taking you out. Usually the black widow is chosen as the cruel woman in the femme fatale type setting, and The Cure’s Lullaby was definitely inspirational in this case, but we chose the praying mantis – the females decapitate their male lovers after mating.” He goes on to explain why the track is special to him,” For me it’s different and beautifully dark. I love the subtle electro feel and would love to hear it on the dancefloor.” says lead vocalist Cito
Director, animator and editor of the video Roger Williams adds: “I wanted to explore ways to visually express the emotions that the song inspires in the listener. Or to find a visual metaphor to interpret the lyrics with. To achieve this, I worked with Tina Rusin, a young, but highly accomplished dancer from Germany. The idea came about to shoot slowed dance sequences of Tina, to try and communicate the mood of the song, and also to give personality to the character she portrays, i.e. the Femme Fatale.
In contrast to these sequences of Tina, we wanted to show the band in a melancholic atmosphere where they appear weak and vulnerable. As if they are each caught in the grip of the Praying Mantis. Martin came up with the idea to use different instruments to the band’s usual equipment. A banjo, double bass, accordion and a pair symbols were combined with strange poses by the band members, which added to the oddness of the visuals. From there the story line developed into the fantasy tale that the video tells.”
Check out the “Praying Mantis” music video below:
This might just be one of the coolest music videos that have been released by a South African artist in 2018. If you like what you see and hear, click here to stream their latest album, Rising Sun. You won’t be disappointed.
In case you did not know, Wonderboom have been named as one of our 24 must-watch acts at Oppikoppi 2018. So make sure that you check them out next weekend!
Watch this space for regular updates in the Music Videos category on SA Music Zone.
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