Last month, Touché Amoré celebrated the release of their critically acclaimed fifth studio album, ‘Lament,’ a record tipped by many as one of the finest heavy releases of 2020. Among extensive plaudits, the album saw the band secure a Best New Music at Pitchfork, Album Of The Week at Stereogum, their first Kerrang! cover – and now, the Los Angeles post-hardcore band released the stunning video for its title track with The FADER.
Working with the multi-platform visual artist Sujin Kim, the band’s guitarist, art director, and designer Nick Steinhardt had the following to say about its conception and completion: “While we were in the studio recording ‘Lament’ I came up with a video idea that I couldn’t wrap my head around how to tell entirely as live action. The original concept centered around being used up and tossed aside over and over again until you’ve had enough. Told through the story of earth and clay, pot and plant, the interplay between a lifeform and vessel, constraint versus freedom, nourishment, and depletion via a symbiotic relationship. As the story developed further, the idea of animation came into play, which freed my brain a bit to lean further into the macabre, grotesque, and surreal.”
Steinhardt continues: “Having essentially grown up in its backyard and graduating from CalArts in 2009 I was well familiar with their notable Experimental Animation program. Also as an art director who looks to find and champion other creatives for what they do well, my first stop was combing through reels of recent student work. The poetic and dark nature of Sujin Kim’s work immediately resonated with me, and when she excitedly responded that she was available for the project several months ago I didn’t quite know the level to which she was going to commit herself. It became clear from our initial conversations about words and meaning that a conceptual approach was just as important as the overall aesthetic. The end result is something I’m truly proud of and feels like one of the most ambitious visuals we’ve had to date.”