We’re excited to premiere the new Rumours music video, “Fallout”, today, September 5. They are an electronic soul-pop trio made up of Italians Mark Borgazzi and Federico Bigonzetti, and Norwegian, Marion Solheim.
The Italians are childhood friends and eventually remained to be so in London studios, song writing, studying and gigging. Come 2014 the trio was complete when the duo met Norwegian songstress, Marion, and a new take on things was born.
Their debut EP, Shapes, came out July 8. The song in question for this premiere, with its accompanying video, is the third track on said EP. Before that, though, came second track and single, “I Do It All”, on January 27.
“I Do It All” begins with grave piano, tinkling and sad. Vocals both male and female combine tastefully and beautifully. Then comes a change of tempo via pounding bass drum, becoming immediate and passionate. Bassy melody emboldens the track amidst chopped up vocals. Definitely soulful with a touch of sass.
Anyway, the track we’re premiering exclusively here, “Fallout”, begins with soulful adlibbing amidst a quite industrial backdrop. Like synthetic soul, or something. The contributions of man and machine coming together in what one may perceive to be an age closing in on a dystopian future.
This lifts to the point of empowerment, however, the male and female vocal contributions melding well. “I hold my breath and feel under pressure” comes as the track builds to a crescendo, tension released with another round of that empowerment. There are also rave aspects to it, too, acting like a recurring middle section. This lends the song a progressive bent, almost like respite from all emotion baring soul within the piece.
The video of said piece is directed by Daz Amore, produced by Ooop Studio and edited and post produced by Muphovi. The setting appears to be a warehouse of some sort, brick walls suitably in tandem with a sometimes very industrial soundscape.
The human element comes from the dancers, though they, too, seem a bit robotic. These various contortions make for excellent choreography, though. Then it seems the sun shines through the bleak windows, and the energy of that empowerment hammers home. Beautiful. Some of the shots suddenly seem to imply more outdoors than the imprisonment of that imposing, bleak warehouse. Has freedom been achieved, a happy ending to the video?
Indeed, how the video interacts with the music is well executed. It lends it a cinematic quality, embellishing thematic sounds and passages for the eyes to understand and appreciate in aspects only the ears can partially fanthom. Particularly how darkness and light convey, perhaps, imprisonment and freedom, respectively. How that aforementioned empowering passage plays as the dancers seem to, not only see the light through those bleak windows, but also how they leave those industrial constraints and venture outside.
How the video interprets the song is also key. Any doubts about whether the song will have a happy ending are answered. Those industrial elements, just listening to the audio, suggest perhaps, as said, a dystopian future that, perhaps, doesn’t work out well for humanity. Maybe it’s satisfying to see the visuals suggest otherwise?
Rumours has progressive elements that might sound out of place, but when you realise that, perhaps, this is for respite, and that those passages help tell a story, you begin to appreciate them more. Perhaps the trio understand the power of intensity, too, and that this aforementioned tension has to be released some way. Instead of going down the route of the climatic rave crescendo, very clichéd crescendo, indeed, they choose to defuse those feelings with swiftly executed turns in sound. The synthetic qualities of industrial soundscapes, and the human qualities of the soul genre? Synthetic soul music, indeed.
Access the Rumours website, here; and their Shapes EP off iTunes, here.
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Words by Andrew Watson
