SYML Shares Gorgeous Video For “Fear Of The Water”
August 16, 2017 BY Nettwerk
“a gorgeous, devastatingly melancholic video for the track, ‘Fear of the Water.’ A visual convergence of stark, arresting industrial and natural landscapes, the dancers within this world captivate via jolts of movement as though they are tethered and love (or perhaps more apt, longing) is tugging at their strings.” – Ladygunn
SYML shared the video for his track “Fear Of The Water” via Ladygunn yesterday. The song is from his latest EP Hurt For Me, which also features the massively streamed single “Where’s My Love.”
WATCH (& SHARE) THE VIDEO FOR “FEAR OF THE WATER” NOW:
SYML says of the video, ““The main rhythm throughout this song is based around a simple but familiar beat found in latin and afro-cuban music. It invokes movement. Acting this movement out on a piano is one thing, but to see it physically communicated through a human body is another. A lot of the footage is taken from “one-take” performances where they would let their bodies flow through the whole song, front to back, instead of taking it scene by scene. The result is more moving than I could have ever hoped.“
Director Keith Rivers adds, “I wanted to work with professional dancers for this song because I don’t how to dance, it’s a vulnerability for me. I wanted to use physical movement to metaphor their inner monologue or as a central theme of facing fear. Ironically, letting go of control when directing this film was cathartic for me in the making of this project. The dancers put themselves out there and poetically danced to whatever came to them. All I did was welcome that space and freedom and set small intentions and lyrical queues in between takes.”
The Hurt For Me EP was just rereleased as a piano and string instrumental album on August 4th. Earlier this summer, SYML also put out a Where’s My Love EP comprised of several different versions of the track, including a new French one that features Los Angeles artist, Lily Kershaw. “Where’s My Love,” which Clash called “a lush, subtle, and graceful piece of songwriting,” now has over 21 million combined streams on Spotify alone.
Translated as “simple” in Welsh, SYML is the creation of Brian Fennell, a Seattle-native and founding member of the indie-rock band Barcelona. With a keen grasp on textural and emotive songwriting, Fennell combines piano, minimalist synth and string-scapes with ethereal vocals to take the listener on a journey through the senses. He currently has over 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has stayed over the 1.5 million mark since the beginning of the year.
Next up for SYML is a special performance at The Ace Hotel Theater in Los Angeles opening up for poet IN-Q on September 16th. He’ll then head to Germany’s esteemed Reeperbahn Festival followed by his debut performance in London at The Islington on September 28th.
