KEXP Video Premiere: AJ Suede – Negative Energy

Local Music, KEXP Premiere
12/06/2017
Dusty Henry

On his latest album, Gotham Fortress, AJ Suede is filled with negative energy. It looms in the boom of his voice, in the foreboding rumbles of Wolftone's spacious beats (as well as cuts from SpaceGhostPurp and Brakebill). He cements the atmosphere of the record early on with the stand out track, well, "Negative Energy." The track's industrial stabs and menacing flow now have its essence captured in music video form.

Directed by Future Crystals, the video aptly matches the twisted, distorted mood of the song. It feels like a lost VHS tape pulled out of the trash bearing an ominous message. The screen lines shudder as clips alternate of Suede around Seattle. These aren't glamorous locales -- light rail stations, downtown crosswalks, and highway overpasses play the background for Suede. He doesn't dance or even jump around in the video. He moves slowly, always alone aside from the occasional passerby in the background. The images continue to distort and glitch out throughout. This video feels like what it's like to actually be in the Northwest in the winter. It's wet, cold, miserable, and sometimes alienating. These are the same emotions Suede's music thrives in. Watch the video below.

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