The Band Explains: machineheart - 'Altar'
Ethereal indie pop quartet machineheart talk to us about their powerful visuals for new single ‘Altar’ - an impassioned cry for help which embraces life’s bleakness and its beauty, both sonically and visually.
’Altar’ is taken from machineheart’s ted debut full length album, ‘People Change’ which is out now! machineheart will always embark on a North American tour with You Me At Six and Dreamers starting February 21st in Boston, MA and ending March 11th in Los Angeles, CA,. Full tour dates are available at the bottom of the page.
machineheart Explains:
Where was the video for 'Altar' filmed?
We filmed ‘Altar’ right outside of LA in the mountains. We wanted somewhere that felt expansive like the song but we had a limited time frame so we had to do somewhere nearby. It worked out perfectly.
How does the video connect with the song?
I love making videos because you get to expand on the song with the counterpart of visuals so it brings an entirely fresh aspect to the song. For ‘Altar’, we really wanted something that felt desperate but also very beautiful so you have me walking in the very dramatic long veil which is is very striking, especially when put into that very natural background. When we wrote the song, I had such a heavy heart and felt a deep need for divine help, something that was bigger than myself. And I think the journey of the video shows that really well.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
There’s actually a highway right below where we shot some of the scenes when I’m dancing with the veil on so we had onlookers and a lot of cars honking their horn as I was up there looking like a mad woman flailing around. It was fun. Also we shot the water scenes after midnight in the dead of winter and it was absolutely freezing to get into but we did it all in like 15 minutes and then they pulled me out. A little suffering for the beauty of art haha.
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Nature has been a big character for us in this album. For our first video ‘Overgrown’, we were in another expansive setting- the sand dunes. And for ‘Altar,’ up in the high hills and mountains. Its how we felt when we were making the record - like there were no boundaries and just an infinite space of creative room to stretch and flex and do whatever felt good musically so we wanted to show that in the visuals. We really were exploring with sonics making this record. We didn’t have any presuppositions going into making the record, we just let creativity be our guide. It was a very freeing process.
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
You know, I felt very deep emotions when writing ‘Altar’. I was at the end of my rope and of myself really. It was a cry for help and we all have those moments. So I hope that people can hear that in the song. Ultimately our hope in making music is that we are giving people somewhere to land and take shelter, so they can process what they’re going through and know that they aren’t the only ones with those thoughts or feelings. Even in tragedy, there is still beauty. And that’s what music is for.
Interview feature by Karla Harris
machineheart Tour Dates (w/ You Me At Six and Dreamers):
2/21 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
2/22 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre
2/23 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
2/24 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
2/26 Toronto, ON The Opera House
2/27 Detroit, MI Saint Andrews
2/28 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar
3/02 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
3/04 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
3/06 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
3/07 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
3/09 San Diego, CA Music Box
3/10 Pomona, CA The Glass House
3/11 Los Angeles, CA Teragram Ballroom