The Band Explains: POM - 'Citrus Mistress'

Los Angeles electronic art-rock trio POM get deep with us about the creative process behind their incredibly powerful single and visuals for 'Citrus Mistress', taken from their upcoming EP, Drowning Days.

POM Explains:
Where was the video for 'Citrus Mistress' filmed? 
The underwater portion of the video was shot in Valerie’s dad’s backyard. He was kind enough to let us use his pool in the middle of the night at about 11pm (shoutout to Donn!). We were able to coat it with materials to make it look like a deep ocean or a dark lake in post/coloring. 

The studio scenes were shot at a studio that I work at in Chatsworth. It’s essentially a big warehouse with various set designs and other stored materials. A stage was already set up, and all we had to do was pull out giant black curtains that were hanging behind the stage to make it look like a room full of spooky nothingness. 

The end beach scene was shot at El Matador in Malibu! 

Are there any behind the scenes stories? 
One story in particular is that Valerie ended up having to shoot the underwater scenes in freezing water while getting over a high fever! We were limited on shoot days due to the equipment we had to rent, and we ended up picking a shoot date in late Winter/early Spring. So she was quite the trooper pulling through on the underwater portion. 

We also ended up pulling an all nighter for the beach shoot. We had to transport a giant queen-sized mattress on the roof of our car for a single shot, and it was hardly secured by a single string due to a lack of time, materials, and proper planning. We had at least 5 angry drivers honking and yelling at us on the road saying that it was going to fly off. It was hovering 2 feet above the car while I held it down from inside. It was a stressful morning to say the least, but well worth it.

How does the video connect with the song and is there a message the video is trying to convey?
I can’t quite speak for everyone on this, but to me personally, the song represents going through the motions and arcs of a relationship, friendship, or general human connection with someone. Something that started out as passionate and exciting, may inevitably turn into something constrictive and controlling. This was reflected in the dance scenes, which start out as amorous and innocent, but eventually become threatening, trippy, and intense. The bride drowning underwater represents someone feeling trapped in a similar monotony, as well as the expectations of marriage. The bride is later choked/tormented with seaweed in her bed, by the same entity that the male romantic partner evolved into in the later dance scenes. This discloses a similar sense of developed constriction. 

I think that the video conveys a sense of empowerment and liberation in trying to overcome these constrictions. It gives off a kind of warning to anyone in a relationship, telling them that they don’t need to be trapped or stuck in something when deep down they feel uneasy about it. 

Interview Feature by Karla Harris