NYC Artist J Godfrey Debuts Surreal Video for New Dream Pop Single “Ninety-Nine”

I hope you found all you wanted to find

In those signs when you will it they synchronize

I hope you found all you wanted to find

In those stars when they blossomed before your eyes

Multi-instrumentalist J. Godfrey, nestled in the Two Bridges neighbourhood of New York City’s Lower East Side, draws deeply from the rich, reverb-drenched landscapes of shoegaze, post-punk, and dream pop. His influences—ranging from Slowdive and Ride to Spiritualized—are unmistakable, with whispers of Sufjan Stevens’ introspection and Elliott Smith’s melancholy weaving through his work. His sound, at once expansive and intimate, conjures the layered textures of Deerhunter.

In Ninety-Nine, Godfrey offers a meditation on disillusionment and lost ambitions, yet his reflections are far from defeatist. The lyrics point to a relationship that serves as a refuge, a rebellion against the crushing weight of modern alienation. There’s a palpable sense of finding fleeting joy amid uncertainty—a celebration of connection in a world that’s crumbling.

As the song winds down, it’s clear that solace lies not in grand gestures, but in the unspoken, in the quiet corners where understanding and shared history thrive. Godfrey’s work speaks to the beauty in resilience, offering an almost stubborn optimism against the backdrop of life’s inevitable collapse. He’s a poet of the in-between, finding meaning in moments most might overlook.

The DIY video for Ninety-Nine, featuring J. Godfrey and Aida Blank (Workwife, Forever Honey), reflects a minimalist aesthetic, capturing a fleeting, dreamlike quality. The two artists drift in and out of focus, their figures playing over a floral backdrop that seems to breathe with slow, deliberate movements. The visual feels like that hazy moment before sleep, when thoughts blur, anxieties linger, and memories—half-formed and elusive—morph and fade in a soft tangle of shifting shapes and colours.

The bodega bouquet, exchanged like a quiet promise, mirrors the video’s tone: blooming briefly, only to wilt with the same slow grace. There’s an understated intimacy in this visual language, as the flowers, like the emotions at play, bloom and fade with an inevitable fragility. The video gently lingers—its simplicity conjures a sense of shared space, a fleeting connection that dissolves just as quickly as it forms. Godfrey and Blank, through subtle gestures and quiet movements, allow the viewer to pause, to sink into the gentle rhythm of the moment, where fleeting beauty and loss unfold side by side.

Watch the video for “Ninety-Nine” below:

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