4 days ago
Feature Video: Foxwarren - Deadhead
Decapitation! Loincloths! Bizarre unsettling puppetry! Magical sky-babies! 'Deadhead' by Canadian quintet Foxwarren has all of that and more, in this highest-fantasy adventure that will take you way, way beyond the most uncanny of valleys.
Born from the brain of renowned animator and director Joe Cappa (who has made original work for Adult Swim, Toro y Moi, Judd Apatow, Giphy and more), the clip for 'Deadhead' blends Joe's signature surrealist style with Foxwarren's indie-folk sensibilities.'I've been a long-time fan of Andy Shauf and Foxwarren so I was honoured to make something for them' says Joe. 'If I had it my way the video would be about a bunch of golfers in their mid 30s doing celebratory dances after sinking putts, but I was trying to keep it within the aesthetic of the album which was a little more rustic and nature-y. I'm happy with the end result.'
'I bought a bunch of wigs and medieval costumes and sort of came up with the premise of the video as I was dressing the puppets. When I put the blonde wig and mustache on the main character it really spoke to me. Those legs on the flute playing baby are my 10 month old son's.'
Foxwarren's Andy Shauf says that this music video is 'definitely the first time I've been brought to tears by a music video for my own song', which is high praise given that Shauf is a rage favourite specifically for the ambitiously weird (in the good way), usually animated music videos that have always accompanied his solo work.
The fantastical clip serves as a final preview for Foxwarren's new album, 2, and was created in the bands' own home studios across four Canadian provinces with band members Shauf, Avery and Darryl Kissick, Dallas Bryson, and Colin Nealis all collabing on shared song ideas, melodic phrases, and rhythmic bits in an online shared folder. Never let anyone tell you that WFH doesn't produce results.
A parting message from Foxwarren, to intrepid travellers: 'To all the deadheads, we say 'don't stop dancing.''
