New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Brooklyn's power-pop group Onesie premiered their music video for "This Minstrel" via The Big Takeover yesterday. Known for their wacky, fun and light-hearted attitude, the band takes a slightly more serious approach for this video, featuring a FAO Schwarz Jim Henson puppet as the perfect protagonist. "This Minstrel" comes off the band's debut album, Leos Consume, released earlier this month.
Lead singer Ben Haberland (of Gurus, and formerly The Isles) shared, "It's a relatively chill song in the Onesie oeuvre. The lyrics reference various people that have moved on with their lives. The protagonist feels left behind; it's that feeling of always looking over your shoulder, assessing failure, or just being caught in the loop of trying to make sense of your path whilst feeling frozen on it. There's that cliche that the past is very alluring to people since it can be held and studied, but really, nostalgia or comparing your circumstance to others just digs you into a deeper hole that's increasingly harder to climb out from."
The unblinking, unwavering, and limited expression of the puppet provides a perfect protagonist for the video. Views expect a comical appearance from such a figure, yet as the video progresses, it becomes surprisingly suiting. "Initially I had an idea to follow a homemade, tattered puppet through a morning commute, muttering one criticism after another as one does," said Haberland. "At some point I recalled a friend of mine received a gift from the FAO Schwarz Jim Henson Workshop made in her likeness (complete with long black hair and leather jacket) and I thought it could look stark and cool to shoot the puppet in high contrast black and white. We shot over a few days and the graveyard stuff looked immediately awesome; noir as hell." Representative of self-isolation, stuck in her own bubble, the puppet becomes a perfect metaphorical translation of the lyrics and content of the video. "I love that she has a default expression of shock and disbelief that reminds me of something we might be desperately trying to conceal throughout the day. She doesn't really interact with anything or anyone, but she seems to be searching… there's a sense of self-medication going on as some internal drama spills forth."
Shot throughout Brooklyn, Onesie stays true to their roots, providing a layered, metaphorical-filled video without letting it get too heavy or drab. Known for their punchy, playful and light-heartedness, at the end of the day Onesie reminds us to just have fun - lest we all end up as isolated puppets. Listen to more of Onesie, with their latest album Leos Consume, full of vivid, hooky, guitar-pop anthems, perfect for summer. Purchase on Bandcamp and all major digital retailers. Be sure to catch Oneise at upcoming shows, listed below, including an official showcase Brooklyn's Northside Festival on June 10, at Bar Matchless
Upcoming Shows:
June 2 - Gateway, Brooklyn, NYC
June 10 - Bar Matchless, Manhattan, NYC
June 22 - PA's Lounge, Boston, MA
June 23 - Paulys Hotel, Albany, NY
June 27 - The Well, Brooklyn, NYC
June 30 - Brew Haus, Lindenhurst, NY
July 1 - Creep Records, Philadelphia, PA
August 18 - The Cape House, Brooklyn, NYC
