The Artist Explains: Leo Law - 'Let Your Guard Down'
Leo Law’s most recent single ‘Let Your Guard Down’ was written at the time when he was coming to terms with his sexuality, the song deals with the frustration and confusion he felt during his first experiences of using dating apps after coming out.
He talks to us in more detail about the video for the track.
Where was the video filmed?
There's a small expanse of green behind my friend Dottee Simone's house in North London. There’s a huge, old tree in the middle so we filmed the video there. Dottee is one of my oldest friends and I collaborate with her on all my visuals. It's where we used to have parties back in the day. We basically grew up there and it holds a lot of sentimental value, so it made sense to use it as the setting for the video.
How does the video compliment the song?
The song is pretty dark and moody, so it was important to create a visual that mirrors the feel of the song. That way, the message I’m trying to put across works in tandem in a complimentary fashion.
Any behind the scenes stories?
The little field is a public space where most of the day was spent being watched by groups of teenagers smoking weed and tripping out at the weird shit we were doing. I think we scared a few kids as well. Parts of the video were filmed during the Beast from the East (pre-snow) so I have traumatic memories of sitting in that tree freezing my balls off.
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The song itself is about shared experiences of heartbreak, unrequited love and insecurity. The process of writing it helped me work through a lot of confusion and frustration I'd gone through in dating and relationships. With the video, we wanted to present those experiences in a sort of abstract, dramatized way. The concept centres around a fencing match. The movement and swordplay in fencing is elegant and lends itself well as a metaphor for the push and pull forces in relationships.
In this context, protective gear such as the mask can be interpreted as a representation of certain defense mechanisms – lying about or disguising your true emotions as a means of protection and ‘saving face’.
Technology and particularly social media play a large part in our experience of dating as well. The remote conditions of technology and dating apps provide a sense of anonymity and confidence we wouldn’t have face to face. And this extends into relationships as well. Social media provides a window into modern relationships and while those involved can curate what’s aired to the public, many can feel pressure to keep up appearances and present a picture-perfect partnership. While the wires wrapped around the fencer’s bodies was a subtle nod to the trappings of technology and social media, we focused on personifying this concept with the masked crowd.
This crew of anonymous voyeurs were intended to be a manifestation of the unforgiving and almost brutal attitude people take towards social media – sat behind a computer or phone screen with no accountability for the consequences of their abuse. Having this crowd watch the fencing match in a Hunger Games type setting allowed us to comment on our ability as humans to discard common decency and judge people. Especially those with some degree of celebrity. Almost as though it were a sport and there are teams to root for and opposition to tear down.
What is the message of the video trying to convey?
We were mainly trying to convey how cruel some people's experiences of dating and relationships can be. And with that, I think the song acts as this genuine call for honesty. It's me saying we could all stand to be a bit kinder and more considerate when dealing with other people's emotions.