Coming out of this pandemic—fingers crossed—it feels like the most resonant music video aesthetic this past year has been the VHS-quality home movie look, which replicates those videos us ’90s kids’ parents bust out every time we come home. The idea being that it’s been hard to make new memories while cooped up in our homes, and it feels like a bit of an escape to watch footage of others creating new memories that will be stored in the attic for years, until dad gets around to investing in the proper technology to convert them to MP4s.
The latest lo-res visual comes from Derek Ted and his newly released EP Keep Trying—“better than u think” is a minimal acoustic track made a bit more maximal by Ted’s bold vocals and engaging storytelling (just think a slightly less ramshackle Field Medic, who happens to be Ted’s roommate). The modest track warrants the modest video production, which the songwriter chose to match other qualities of the song. “This video was self made with a VHS C camera,” he shares. “I wanted it to feel as direct yet as abstract as the song itself—like a journey through my physical journal and my memories at the same time.”
Watch it below, and check out the full EP here.
