Melbourne’s Pretty Bleak create pristinely crafted emo pop songs that seek to be a soundtrack to your 20’s. Formed in 2019, the group has been steadily releasing singles, receiving airplay on triple J and continuing to hone their sound and visual aesthetic, which has one foot in the past and one very much in the current culture. It’s this modern/retro aesthetic that makes their new video for “other people’s heads” such a perfect representation of the band.
The extremely catchy emo pop track has elements of 80’s new wave and synth pop in its sound, and the video’s mixing of VHS-style footage and modern digital photography pays homage to the range of influences. Shot on a clean white set adorned with roses and mirrors, with the band members outfitted in a style that wouldn’t feel out of places in the 80’s, the group feels like they are paying tribute to early inspirations while still sounding wholly modern.
With shots focusing on old school film cameras and camcorders, the video also is juxtaposing the song’s indictment of our current social media climate where you can know someone without ever having met them with older technology that partially paved the way for a world where we live in “other people’s heads”.
Watch the video above and stream the track here!
The Indy Review 