New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The film centres around an ageing hockey player at the end of his career. With no prospects outside the sport we see his options dwindle as he turns to alcohol and drugs to cope. He's suffering from CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive trauma to the head which doctors currently do not know much about and can't diagnose or treat. A once superstar in the sport he is now having to work minimum wage to make ends meet and support a family back home.
The video comes out months after the album, but it was crucial that filmmaker
James Ayling (Cape Films) had the time to shoot and edit the piece properly, and a project of this scale obviously takes time. The result was well worth the wait, a soul stirring and thought provoking piece of film that pairs perfectly with the song's original meanings, as
Pablo explains:
"All our lives we are trained to be strong, to make a career, to be competitive, to win at all costs and not to show any weakness. But if we become aware of our vulnerability, allow it to be a part of us, and even share it with others, then we can find comfort. I think that is the only solution not to perish from this "we have to be hard at any price" attitude we grew up with. So when I read
James idea for the video it immediately resonated with me and I'm super happy how the film turned out."
Director James Ayling: "As a retired player that played for 20+ years I've played with a lot of these players and have seen them come and go. We have lost a lot of athletes to CTE but as we are currently unable to diagnose this in living players many suffer without knowing what is happening to them. I was sent "Vulnerability" and immediately thought about this story as it felt like it was narrating this film and the lyrics and tone synced perfectly with the visual narrative. This character plays a very tough role in the sport but has to be vulnerable when faced with his reality of potentially losing his career, family and ultimately his mind."
'Vulnerability' is the eighth studio album from the
Swiss beat maker who's built an impressive career and enjoyed worldwide acclaim since releasing his debut album back in 2012.
Pablo Nouvelle first gained international attention in 2012 with his self-released, eponymous album, described as "essential" by Mixmag and followed by the EP 'You Don't Understand' on U.K. tastemaker label
Black Butter. The artist subsequently made a name for himself with his numerous releases and remixes for the likes of Aurora, Gorgon City, Marina, Andreya Triana and collaborated on a AfroBeat EP that featured Angelique Kidjo.
When not playing live shows with full band you might catch him as a DJ or classical pianist when orchestrating his neo classical album "Piano Pieces" with a string quartet and grand piano. And when Nouvelle isn't pursuing music, he is an acclaimed animation filmmaker with 3 award-winning short films to his name. 'In A Nutshell', his last, was longlisted for an Oscar.
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