The Band Explains: BLOODHYPE - 'Romeos'
Berlin-based indie collective BLOODHYPE speak to us about behind-the-scenes motel mishaps in the making of their cinematic, road-tripped themed visuals for new banger, 'Romeos' ,and our intrinsic fight or flight response when faced with challenging situations.
Taken from the band's debut EP, 'Wolves', 'BLOODHYYPE' is a brooding and impassioned indie rock song, with a retro undercurrent that would make for the perfect soundtrack to a Stranger Things Youtube montage.
BLOODHYPE explains:
Where was the video for 'Romeos filmed?
The video was filmed in New Jersey in and around Asbury Park. We worked with American director Terrence Matlin who is a good friend and part of our creative collective. Terry was already involved in the writing process in the studio. While Elmar was recording vocals, we already started the conversation about how great it would be to shoot a road-trip, being on the run kind of video in NJ.
So in June we took Max Koenig, who we trust with everything visual, and went and did it.
How does the video connect with the song?
In the end, the lyrics could be a dialogue between the two kids who are running away from "something". But - as it remains unclear in the lyrics, it remains unclear in the video as well what they are running away from, what kind of relationship they have (lovers, friends, family..) and how everything ends.
Any behind the scenes stories?
Since we did not have budgets to pay for locations, we just went to the places and shot our scenes. Terry did a great job in finding great looking spots, and so we went and took our chances. It became really crazy in the motel we went to. As you can see it is a super rundown motel (that looks perfect for our purpose), and people told us stories about crazy parties going on there on the weekends. So we should have become suspicious I guess.
When we showed up to rent a room, the guy at the reception went crazy because he thought we wanted to throw a party and trash the place. He believed that Bret (the main character in the video) and Max, who both have long hair, would be girls and Terry and I were some sick weirdos. He was yelling at us "no party!" and was pointing at a wall full of photocopied IDs of people that were banned from entering the property. The receptionist was sure that we were already on there. Since we were not, we got the room, but he stayed super suspicious. And since we did not stay overnight and have been carrying around cameras and stuff, I am sure he thinks that we shot some kind of porn or so, haha
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Fleeing, running away, is one of our primal instincts. And everybody has this impulse all the time. What differentiates us from animals though, is that we are able to reflect and to lead this internal dialogue with ourselves, to convince us that there is love, trust, friendship and all those abstract human constructs that empower us to deal with life. When we are holding on to each other, we can do it, man.
What is the message the video is trying to convey?
'Romeos' is about the ultimate freedom you have when you know that it will end badly. Nothing matters anymore because the outcome of everything seems to be already determined. This clarity makes you lose your reluctance, your caution and allows you to do, what you always wanted to do. It becomes clear what is truly important, what makes sense and what doesn't.
Interview Feature by Karla Harris
Live Dates:
September 7th 2018 – Munich (I Heart Sharks Support)
September 8th 2018 – Hamburg (I Heart Sharks Support)
November/December 2018 - Supporting Blackout Problems on their German and Austrian Dates