Aja Ireland unveils the striking music video for her newest track, “Cryptid,” created in collaboration with Joey Holder’s immersive exhibition, Cryptid, at Two Queens Gallery. This experimental electronic artist, known for her unique fusion of otherworldly soundscapes, delivers an audacious auditory experience by intertwining noise, future trap, and experimental bass, drawing inspiration from artists such as SOPHIE, Ice Spice, and Arca.
The “Cryptid” video epitomizes the seamless blend of sound, fashion, and installation art. Aja commands attention as she performs amid Holder’s exhibition while adorned in an original costume designed by Berlin-based LULALOOP. The visuals present a captivating dance between scientific precision and mysticism, mirroring the track’s exploration of duality, decline, and the nebulous boundary between life and the inanimate.
Directed by Timothy Chesney, one of the creative minds behind the viral sensation Charity Shop Sue, the video features breathtaking drone footage by filmmakers Jake Day and Oli Simpkin, capturing the dynamic essence of Holder’s installation at Two Queens. Timothy enhanced the visual narrative with 3D landscapes and fish-eye lens shots, invoking an early 2000s music video vibe for CRYPTID.
Timothy reflects, “Joey and Aja’s work felt like a lucid dream on set. Seeing the drones fly around Aja’s in Joey’s installation gave me the chills – I knew we had something special. We wanted to create an otherworldly video for Aja’s video for Cryptid centred around a mythical creature under constant surveillance and contained by mysticism and code. By the end, it is revealed she has imprisoned herself balancing between desire and control. Similar to my work on Charity Shop Sue, the video for Cryptid was made on a shoestring budget but was made possible through the special love, trust and ambition that can sometimes only come from collaboration between close friends.”
The track “Cryptid” delves into themes of alienation, emotional desolation, and resilience amidst a turbulent internal and external landscape. Its lyrics weave a surreal, dystopian tale of detachment and survival, capturing the essence of battling feelings of emptiness and depletion, while simultaneously hinting at a quest for empowerment and deeper purpose. An eerie, intangible presence looms, both familiar and menacing, embodying the hauntingly elusive quality of a “cryptid.”
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Pre-order the album Cryptid, due to be released on January 31st via Infinite Machine, here: https://infinitemachine.bandcamp.com/album/cryptid
