At this point in the story of capitalism, Brooklyn-based songwriter HNRY FLWR’s video for new single “The Bliss” hardly qualifies as satire as the musician—dressed in a new-age telemarketing getup roughly matching the era the background music evokes—attempts to snake-oil sell us bliss and other void-filling products straight out of the box. Co-produced and mixed by Sam Cohen, “The Bliss” is a familiar journey of overstimulation caused by competing advertisements for self-care and other curiously inspirational narratives pushed on us by, say, a deodorant company you were planning on buying from anyway.
“The temptation to rely on shortcuts to ‘quick bliss’ through products, programs, and overconsumption always threatened to derail us from our goal of creating slow, reflective, meaningful experiences through art,” shares the video’s director Melanie Drew Chambers, who also plays keys and sings backup on the track. “Because of this, I really wanted to shoot on tape rather than digital and make the props myself by hand. Like the song, the music video for ‘The Bliss’—inspired by ’90s local TV commercials—addresses the false promises of euphoria on every supermarket shelf and billboard, always looming like a burning hot sun.”
The song itself feels more tied to the ’80s era of heartland rock, with FLWR’s vocals bordering on the alt-rock-era baritone of Stephin Merritt. “Racing through the neon LA rain as credits begin to roll,” FLWR shares, setting the scene. “Searching for healing in billboards and gurus. Yearning for bliss that a place can never give you. As you watch this video I urge you to stop running from yourself and embrace the void within.”
Find the video below.
