For the creation of their “Hello” cover video, the band assembled a group of powerhouse feminists to work alongside them. Critically acclaimed actress, Megan Duffy, known for her role alongside Elijah Wood in the Cannes Film Festival lauded thriller Maniac, directed the video. Duffy’s vision was for a blend of timelessness, empowerment, tension and style. Throughout the video, a distressed woman fights to find her inner peace. As she begins to unwind from a long day, she finds her oasis and reaches a new level of self-love. “The past couple of months have been trying for women, so we wanted to make a video that focused on female empowerment,” says lead vocalist, Gabrielle Wortman. “After a difficult day, this woman comes home weary and burnt out, but picks herself back up and gets ready for the next challenge. By the end, she’s done a complete 180 and has found her inner queen.”
Fashion played an integral part of the visual direction for the video. Zoe Zhou, one of Beyoncé’s stylists and notable contributor to her Lemonade video and Super Bowl performance, provided all the styling for the music video. She handpicked every piece used in the project to create an aura of equal parts modern and 1940’s film noir. The band also enlisted social media icon and Schon Magazine beauty producer, Mynxii White, who has previously worked with everyone from Stella McCartney to Marilyn Manson, to provide all of the hair and makeup styling. Women empowerment and self-love are distinct messages in the video. “Women are complex creatures, so we also wanted to portray the many faces of the female personality through the alter egos you see in the video. This is a Valentine’s Day love story, but instead of pining over a love interest, she’s pining over loving herself — and ultimately does.” Rich with dark imagery and whispering melodic vocals, “Hello” exudes feelings of ecstasy.
Based in Los Angeles, Smoke Season has independently released three EPs (Signals, 2013; Hot Coals Cold Souls, 2014; Ouroboros, 2016), a handful of singles, a bevy of cinematic music videos, and a tour schedule that features frequent national runs and regular appearances on the stages of prominent festivals, such as SXSW and CMJ. Their unique musical style has captured the attention of major press outlets like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Clash Magazine, LA Weekly and The New York Times, while earning them over five million streams on Spotify.
“Hello” is available to download on iTunes and for streaming on Spotify. Watch the cover video now on YouTube and keep up with Smoke Season by visiting SmokeSeason.com.