The music equivalent of a nostalgic Instragram filter, “Outlines” is sure to be a summer favourite as the weather warms up. With Hot Spoke playing at next month’s Big Sound Festival in Brisbane, we take a look at the band’s new video ahead of their EP release Calm Down.
Citing musical influences like The Smiths, Mazzy Star and The Jesus and Mary Chain, it’s no surprise that Hot Spoke sound timeless, and memory soaked. Last week they debuted the music video for Outlines with FasterLouder, filmed on the NSW South Coast’s Shoalhaven River. The laid back performance is reminiscent of a holiday scrap-book, where reality is embellished with the crackles and pops of hazy Instagram filters. The band perform in a field of cows with drawn on swirly eyes, while super-imposed scribbles form literal “outlines” around the band. Vocalist Vanessa ‘Ness’ Muir is resplendent in a bell-sleeved shirt and large sunglasses, and could’ve stepped out of a 1970’s polaroid.
Both the song and it’s accompanying video idealise memory; grass and sky are pleasantly over-saturated, while Muir sings of “orange coloured sunsets”. The band’s musical equipment is propped up on bales of hay and decaying furniture lending the whole scene an easy-going, yet dilapidated vibe. This setting provides the perfect backdrop to lyrics which explore loneliness and isolation. Muir says the song is “about wanting to pause your life and step out of the ring for a while.” While this kind of content has the opportunity to be dark and introspective, Muir is reflective and insightful. While there’s a sadness in Muir’s breathy vocals there’s also optimism; she implores that she’ll “fall into line in time, but for now let me live in the outlines.”
There’s a sense of upbeat escapism to what Hot Spoke have created. “There’s no better way to feel free of the constraints of the city than the smell of fresh cow dung, and our nostrils couldn’t get enough of it”, Ness said. Throughout the video, hay is tossed around like confetti and the band members enjoy what looks like a weekend holiday, tramping through tall grass and patting cows.
At it’s heart, “Outlines is mellow, feel-good track that Triple J presenter Nick Findlay says “wraps around you like a comfy sonic doona”, and I’m inclined to agree. Seb Bartels’ wavering guitar hook will stay with you, providing the soundtrack to your own “orange coloured sunsets.”
For more info about the EP and live shows in August, visit the bands Facebook.