The Artist Explains: Blanco White - 'Desert Days'
Blanco White (Josh Edwards) and director Javier Lara talk us through the stunning , solitary visuals for Desert Days’.
‘Desert Days’ is the striking new single taken from Blanco White’s upcoming debut album, ‘On The Other Side’, due out on 3 April 2020 via Yucatan Records.
Why did you choose this treatment for the video that accompanies 'Desert Days’?
Josh: “Although there has been an element of collaboration on the music video, it’s really Javier that has taken the creative lead on the visual side. We speak a lot about influences and references that feel relevant to the music and to the world i’m trying to create within the music, but it’s Javier that brings those things to life. I love his work and want him to feel free to create and bring his own ideas to the project so the treatments are always broad.”
Javier: “The ‘Desert Days’ treatment, as in the other videos, is born from a series of raw listening, with my eyes closed and in a pleasant environment for me. Almost always in places like the beach or the mountains, and places I travel in my van to inspire me and write.
‘Desert Days’ was the first song I heard of his new work, I was amazed, I constantly imagined it in super wide, wild places, where few people could survive. I remember that I wrote it a starry night at my local beach in the South-east of Spain, a few days of disconnection with my life and reconnection with inspiration.”
How does the video connect to the song?
Josh: “‘Desert Days’ is a song about feeling like you’ve been trapped living in a place too long. Lyrically it was inspired by Jorge Luís Borges’ short story ‘The Two Kings and The Two Labyrinths’, where the desert stands as the final labyrinth which is impossible to escape from, even though nothing is blocking the way. We both felt the desert landscapes of Lanzarote could be an amazing place to portray the story of the song.”
Javier: “I think that the message in the lyrics is quite connected with the images that represent it. The landscapes and actions of our protagonist are created from what the song conveyed to me, and perhaps it is the most narrative video I have made for Blanco White.
That said, the purpose of these videos is not always narrativity but instead about visual beauty that makes the ideal companion of music. Therefore, among these plans and actions I always try to convey a hidden story.”
Do you have any behind the scenes story that you can share with us?
Javier: “The whole shoot was an adventure, Lanzarote is very wild and special, it is what the islands have and their magnetism. But I could highlight the path to reach the natural pools where we recorded underwater images, in our small and low rental car was very extreme. It took us half an hour to travel 2km, we had to play with wood and stones that we found along the way so as not to break the bottom of the car, authentic offroad without a 4wd car. Once we arrived, we had to walk loaded with the material for 25 minutes by rocks and cliffs until we found the perfect natural pool. It was worth it. (attached photos of this adventure).”
Could you tell us about the ideas / themes / images used?
Josh: “A lot of the images in the video are meant to demonstrate the scale and expanse of the landscapes. The fact that they often feel endless is what makes them feel suffocating at the same time. Javier also wanted to communicate a sense of time passing throughout the video to accompany the growing delirium of the protagonist.”
Javier: “The filming of this video coincides with my first visit to Lanzarote (Canary Islands). It is important when you get to a new place to get close to him, meet him and his people, gastronomy, find the locations you have seen online, see them at the appropriate times of day, adjust the shooting plan and shoot. I spend a lot of time looking for special locations that amaze and help me take the viewer to another world like Blanco White does with his music.”
Is there a message that the video tries to convey?
Javier: “‘Desert Days’ is a piece that is born from the feeling of a man trapped by earth and sky, on his way to freedom he begins to understand that his chances of escaping from there are nil. During his attempt to leave the island he suffers an outbreak of delirium (after days of sun and earth, his mind gives him a bath in an oasis of fresh and crystalline waters) this gives him the strength (and a clue) that he needs to escape. Finally, being aware that he is trapped, he surrenders and waits patiently for his end.”
What do you expect people to take away from watching the video?
Josh: “Beyond the themes we’ve already discussed, for me the song has always had a walking rhythm and feel to it. I think Javier captured that really well with the slow pace and visual rhythms of the video. I hope people feel a connection to that side of the song after watching it.”
Interview by Karla Harris