What price do we pay for eccentricity? Director Riley Blakeway attempts to craft an answer in the video for Froth’s new single, “Contact”.
Blakeway’s stylistic panning, near-stills, capture a night in the life of a wannabe Moon Man, who is distinguishable from your Average Joe only by an old school fighter pilot helmet and his ritualistic dances through projected images of the moon. His odd behavior, however, is celebrated rather than alienated. The swelling chorus and choice camera angles serve to highlight the ecstasy he feels through his reverie. The same message is reiterated with images of a lovely young woman basking in a steaming tub of milk, her eyes rolling back with the indulgence.
However, soon the milk turns sour, as the two begin to feel the repercussions of their cherished idiosyncrasies. The Moon Man embarks on a journey through the darkness outside, cutting through it with a single flashlight beam. The lyrics of the bridge confirm that he is “searching for contact”, and failing pitifully. This all occurs while our Cleopatra waits, motionless, by a phone that never rings. A relationship between the characters is hinted at once or twice, but the fact of their isolation overwhelms all speculation. Our only view of Froth in the flesh is a zooming close-up of Joo Joo Ashworth singing the line: “Notice the absence of participation”. He just might be trying to tell us something.
“Contact” will appear on Froth’s new album, Outside (briefly), to be released on February 10, 2017.
Words: Darby Dayton