The Band Explains: Scotch Mist - 'Mariposa'
New York outfit Scotch Mist talk to us about their hazy single and surreal music video for ,‘Mariposa’, and the importance of having a support system when coping with bereavement.
Where was the video for Mariposa filmed?
We filmed it at Rockaway Beach in Brooklyn, about an hour or so out from the city.
How does the video connect with the song?
2019 has been a mourning period for me. ‘Mariposa’ is about my initial reaction to my girlfriend, Lydia, unexpectedly passing in January this year. The lyrics are literally what I wrote in my iPhone notes in the coming weeks after what happened.
And when you’re mourning, you feel stuck and paralysed. The first line of the song is “Like quicksand I’m sinking…” and initially I wanted to make a video where I literally just sank into quicksand, but I found out that it’s actually super dangerous and this sounded way easier and more fun to make.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
Yeah! The first take we did, I sat kind of awkwardly— like criss-cross-applesauce style. My body weight + the sand were all on my right leg and I had to jump out after the take. I was panicking like “holy shit, my leg might actually give out”.
We also tried to get my dog Penny to lick peanut butter off my face but she was having none of it. She was super confused.
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The video adds in that extra element of support and what that means when you’re feeling stuck.
My close friends and family are in the video. They’re all kind of doing what they’re best at and sticking to it, aware of me but not totally ignoring me.
I’m so lucky to have an amazing support system, but ultimately its up to me to get out of that hole I feel stuck in… there’s only so much others can do for you in these moments.
Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
I think the video is trying to do two things:
1. It’s trying to get you to immediately go: “Wait a second, what the fuck?”
2. Convey my 2019 into two minutes and forty-six seconds.
Interview by Karla Harris