Oh how fondly we remember the youthful mornings spent cross-legged on the carpet waiting for the top 20 countdown. Remember all that there was to look forward to? I’m talking a chance to see Gwen Stefani bashing wedding cakes, followed by Matchbox Twenty gazing at grocery store windows, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing these weird structures. It wasn’t the music that got ya, nor the Saturday morning carpet time with the siblings. It was the art, the art of the music video. The stories that these 4 minute gems told with their special effects, the outfit changes, the way Ashanti’s eye shadow stayed so glittery even on an elephant ride mid-sea. Magic, is what it was.
With all the terrors of the pandemic, we’ve at least been brought back to some of the roots of what is good in the world, the tried and true art so to speak. So in honor of the latest Cardi B smash hit and its accompanying video we thought we’d shine some light on the top 5 music videos that have making waves on the local scene over the past few months. *Note the following are not in any ranking order.
1) El chico de la película – Jazmín Esquivel
Popsicles. Cars. Refrigerators. What more could you want really? From the catchiness of the upbeat synthy pop hit to the varied locations of each scene, this video oozes fun the whole way through. We love a good music video with a storyline and this one does not disappoint. She’s in a car, she’s wearing a white turtleneck reading porn, she’s filming herself in bed, but for what? Well, she’s making a sex tape people and we dig it! The video is full of colors, outfit changes, and varied shots so nostalgically reminiscent of a VH1 top video.
2) Eyes On Me – Fervors
The neon flashes, those dreamy strings, the zoom-ins, and the stunning vocals of the leading lady make this video the embodiment of what I imagine running into the arms of your friends you haven’t touched in over 150 days might feel like. You just feel good. You want to sway. You want to know why Evy Duskey is reading your entire soul with her gaze. You want to wrap yourself up in clouds that reverberate this beauty and drift away into the light.
3) FriBritni (pandemic version) – Carola Zelaschi
Carola Zelaschi is always coming up with things we love, but her quarantine video series as “DJ Lofi Internet Trash” has been our saving grace. Collaging together some true internet gold, the video features ASMR clips of a man eating insane amounts of fried foods, along with honeycombs, ancient Asian temples, and Carola herself jamming out to her mixed samples. It’s weird and it works. And if you dig it, check out the one she made of her song Cenote featuring octopi.
4) Tus Historias –Lea Franov
Shot entirely on a phone, this music video is very meta in that it looks like a compilation of stories that one might see on Instagram (the title translates to Your Stories). From eating an empanada, to beautiful collages of road trips by the sea, and gatherings of friends dancing, this is a snapshot of a life that is full. With the dreamy slow beat and Lea Franov’s melodic echoes, we are transported back to a happier time, a time when friends could drink beers with other friends without a care in the world.
5) No te perdono – Mugre
As one of our favorite albums of 2019 we were stoked when Mugre put out a music video for their punk anthem a few weeks ago. The video follows a woman as she gets ready for a day of heavy corporal expression and ends with a whole lot of cake being thrown around. From walking to the exact beat of the song, to dancing around somewhat aggressively all over the city the video is continuously eye-catching. The protagonist dons facial expressions that keep you longing to know exactly what she knows. It’s cheeky and fun and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but we’re all for it.
Bonus: Suena una Alarma- Maca Mona Mu
While I can’t say that Top 20 Countdown Monique would have been riveted by this particular music video, the song itself is killer. Maca Mona Mu has this stunning voice and just watching her absolutely slay it on the piano is well worth the 4:34 of your time. At the very least have it on in the background with some high-quality speakers so you can melt to its sounds.