Automelodi have returned with a new album, entitled Mirages au futur verre-brisé, which continues the Montreal-based project’s explorations into the dark synth pop underground. The LP is due out on May 3rd via Holodeck, and is arguably the project’s strongest to date, featuring a series of tracks that pushes the cold synth revival to the edges of perfection. With that in mind, we’re honored to premiere the long-form video for “Les Métros Disparus,” the second single culled from the LP.
The video was conceived, directed, and fully edited by Kaspar’89 (pronounced Kaspar quatre-vingt-neuf). Though the track itself clocks in at six minutes of complex, deeply rhythmic synthscapes, the video runs for eight minutes total; a deconstructed fever dream that invokes retro-futurist VHS obscurities and captures the surrealist nature of classic dystopian films such as Liquid Sky and the works of stop-motion animation artist Jiri Trnka. The video features performances by Xavier Paradis, multi-instrumentalist of Automelodi, guitarist Dillon Steele, and guest vocalist Liz Wendelbo of Xeno & Oaklander, a frequent collaborator of Paradis’.
“Les Métros Disparus” dates back to 2016, completed during a time of unrest and precariousness for the project, as Automelodi were between record labels and searching for a new home. This uncertainty serves as a key factor to the video’s surreal augmented reality.
Regarding the video’s concept of the execution, Kaspar’89 has this to offer:
I love Video Art for its plasticity, I find it works well with the flashes, approximate visions I have. Intuition plays a great role towards what I’m going for when I’m behind the camera. While I’m either trying to construct or deconstruct gestures, narratives etc… Intuition moves you places and where the will is often greater than the means, you often have to walk around a lot, see things. Art Pauvre.
I found that going through therapy and working on myself gave me tools to dig deeper, find more substance. Maybe I’m trying to create expressionist feedback loops between the conscious and the unconscious, who knows. My Dream Job is having my own Late Night / Cable Access Channel Show.
In the meantime, I like to build sets, microcosms, where we can try to resonate as much as we can as performers. Xavier has an amazing intuition and great Kinesthesia, so does Dillon. I feel we feed each other through a dance of abstraction. It’s our second collaboration. Kate made a wonderful work with the makeup and her New York footage. The whole team worked really hard and were a lot of fun to work with and genuinely inspiring.
All I know is that I want to stay as far as possible from the pre-digested aesthetics and shallow consumerist coolness of the entertainment crust.
Check out the artwork, tracklisting, and pre-order details for Mirages au futur verre-brisé below:
Automelodi- Mirages au futur verre-brisé
1. La Poussière
2. Les Métros disparus
3. Feux rouges, Châteaux brillants
4. 7 bis
5. Toujours de Jamais (hors-temps)
6. Angoisses d’Orléac
7. Art Contraire
8. Dernier d’août
9. GNO5
10. Visions en forme
Pre-order LP and cassette via Holodeck website.
