While May Rio’s new album French Bath is largely steeped in minimal electronic-pop influences, and the artist herself steeped in Gen-Z’s earnest indie sleaze revival, the new collection of songs takes an introspective, nearly somber turn in its tail end when penultimate track “Self Service” sees Rio reflecting on life lessons that come with growing up. “Quitting is not for losers like we’re told growing up—leaving can be the right thing to do,” she explains. “It felt important to explore how hard on myself I can be, as it’s more often than not my first instinct to take the blame. But there doesn’t always need to be blame, sometimes things just don't work out. ‘Self Service’ is about finding peace in that.”
With this newfound maturity in mind, Rio’s new music video for the sparse piano ballad borrows from the visual language of adult contemporary much more so than from the vibrant colors of peers like The Dare and Frost Children. “‘Self Service’ is my most grown-up song from the album, so I thought it deserved a grown-up video,” she adds. “I was familiar with Cyrus Duff’s work with Amiture, and thought his aesthetic would be a perfect fit for the song. We were working with a super-tight timeline and an even smaller crew (Cyrus directing, DP-ing, and editing; Hideaki Suzuki on hair), but Cyrus really pulled it off. Patrick Latham, a friend and musician who contributed to the LP, makes a cameo in the video, which is fitting because he's also a Chess.com addict.”
Check out the clip below.
