@skopemag news for december 6, 2018 @ 9 am est

Darkly Stylized, Edward Snowden-Inspired Video Debuts w/ Relix

If Rachael Sage’s new video for her track “Snowed In” strikes you as disturbing, that is certainly intentional. Directed by up-and-coming Norwegian film director Martine Skogstad and shot in London, the highly stylized clip captures the paranoid essence of Sage’s song about controversial whistle-blower Edward Snowden and the NSA. Via harrowing imagery meant to both intrigue and rattle the viewer, unsettling characters emerge from a dark, mysterious location that feels equal parts “Blair Witch Project” and deliberately, if not desperately, off-the-grid. In a moment where distrust of politicians and the media has reached an all-time high, identity theft is rampant and our sensitive information seems to be perpetually at risk, Sage’s poetic opening lyric “spiral ladders falling from the sky / I know everything about you” feels eerily literal.

ALLAN RAYMAN RELEASES OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “CRUSH” TODAY!

“Crush” has received praise from music fans and critics alike, Time Magazine recently featured the track, noting, “Rayman’s voice contains multitudes: a rough ache, a smooth hum, a rock star’s confidence.” The video for the critically acclaimed song was directed by Steph Verschuren, who most recently collaborated with Rayman on the video for his current single, “Rose” as well as the videos for his 2017 hit “Word of Mouth” and “Go My Way.”

MXMS / “‘After Night”

Here’s also a quote from Ariel and Jeremy on the song:

“We wrote ‘After Night’ immediately after one of the most influential artists of this planet made his escape to another dimension. Inspired by both his life and the instant feelings we all had from his death, we wanted to write a song that introduces the idea of hope to those dealing with the occurrence of death.”

Rae Sremmurd’s Hilarious New Video Interview

Kyle Crane Announces Debut Album

Revered drummer & prolific songwriter, Kyle Crane has lent his talents on tours with the likes of Neko Case and M. Ward among others as well as being the incredible drum double for the film Whiplash. Today, Crane announces an album of his own, Crane Like the Bird, due out January 18, 2019. Consequence of Sound has announced the record with an “Origins” feature and debuted the video for the dazzling first single from the album, “Nicole,” featuring Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell.

Kyle Crane shares the Origins of “Nicole”, his new song with Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell: Stream

Devin Kennedy “Feel The Same”

Sophie Strauss Embraces Indulgence In Her Video For “Sweetboy”

LA’s Sophie Strauss has just released her stunningly shot video for “Sweetboy” out today via Adolescent. Director Hana Haley captures the theme of raw play between voyeurism and unapologetic sexuality that Sophie exudes. Of the song Sophie explains, “It’s about knowing someone or something may be bad for you but sometimes you just don’t care; you have to have them back (at least for a little bit) and that’s okay.” The lyrics over the chorus, “I’m gonna let you back in,” are sung against field-sampled sounds of domesticity and comfort—the percussion of clothes spinning in the dryer. Her upcoming album Hard Study drops on Dec. 14th.

LOGO/NewNowNext Premieres SHAED’s “Trampoline” Video

The song has skyrocketed up the charts on Spotify, iTunes, and Shazam after being tapped for the latest Macbook Air national ad campaign. The ethereal video for the track dropped today and they have just kicked off their first headlining tour this month.

Remix by Friendzone for Night Lights infectious critically acclaimed indie pop/rock song, “Talk To Me”

Night Lights have been featuring in outlets such as Billboard, Indie Shuffle, NPR, BBC World News, LA Weekly and many more, as well as having charted on Spotify’s Viral 50 Global and Viral 50 US. The band have garnered over 670K plays on Spotify.