After the Flesh (Wellington, New Zealand) share new video-single, ‘Changeling’
On the heels of their self-titled 4-song EP in May 2023, After the Flesh from Wellington, New Zealand, share ‘Changeling’: the EP’s captivating new video-single, which just made its international debut on Friday via Europe’s legendary Side-Line Magazine. The band’s sound skilfully brings together elements of ethereal gothic dreampop, new wave, post-punk, and modern dark alternative rock. Formed on the approaches to 2020, After the Flesh showcases the talents of Slovenian-born vocalist and keyboardist Maruša Sagadin (“Marusha”); guitarist and vocalist Alec Morris; veteran local bassist Duncan Nairn; and later addition Sam Leamy on drums.
The new ‘Changeling’ video is filmed and directed by Martin Sagadin (sibling of Maruša), who explains:
“After the Flesh asked me to do a video after we did a photo shoot at the P?tangirua Pinnacles, where we were in the harsh daylight among the cliffs. We decided the next project would be very glamorous, dramatic and interior, layered in plastic and projection, while paying tribute to some of our favourite New Wave music videos…”
Bandmates Duncan Nairn and Alec Morris shed further light on the creative process behind ‘Changeling’:
Duncan: “…we wrote the bare bones of the songs from the EP in early 2020 during a very productive jam session, just before the world came crashing down. If memory serves, I wrote the bassline for ‘Changeling’ on a synthesiser! It’s an unusual song for us, because it’s linear in its progression, and nothing repeats itself.” Alec: “The music came from a big jam we recorded, which I then edited and wrote the lyrics for. I was writing with Marusha in mind, given that she would be the one singing… She was talking a lot at that time about upping sticks and leaving town, but something was stopping her. The song is kind of about the anxiety before you take action. There’s an angel and a devil on either side, and you don’t know which one is right. My mind ended up wandering to things like the Pleasure Island from Pinocchio, which became a motif in the video. We found a film of it from around 1911, and used it a lot, because it looks wild.”
Mixed and produced by Bryan Tabuteau, a lynchpin of Wellington’s dark alternative music scene, the self-titled debut EP After the Flesh is out now from Bandcamp, and streaming from all the usual digital music platforms.
