05 October 2022 - 0 Comments

Auckland-based indie-pop newcomer Jake Love has followed up the recent release of his new single Better with a delightful video, which captures the relatable and heartwarming inspiration behind the song.

Listen to new single Better HERE

Watch the video for Better - premiering on The Best Pop HERE

“Better is born from a scenario with my now wife where we came really close to breaking up. It was a turning point in our relationship where we had to buckle down and decide if we were both all in or not. In the real world we decided we were, but this song is an imagined scenario where I had decided I wasn’t, and is a fiction of what I might have missed out on,” explains Jake.

Initially recorded with producer Harry Charles, Better was later reworked at Matthew Young’s Peach Studios. Better is a compelling tune, which cleverly balances the juxtaposition of being upbeat and danceable, with a sense of sadness and longing–pulling on the heartstrings. And it’s exactly this that the video evokes.

Conceptualized, produced, and directed by Jake himself, the one-take video shows a fictionalized version of the artist using his lunch break at his office job to visit his local karaoke bar. He’s a regular with a weekly booking and comes to bust out his five-minute pop-star routine. He leaves with a sense of catharsis, having enjoyed his five minutes to be a star – even if it’s just for himself.

“The video adds a different layer of meaning to the song, running in tangent to the lyrics of a failed romance. It speaks to a sense of being “Better” for myself by taking the time to indulge in music and creativity. Even if it is only in the small breaks between the hustle of life, the pop-star routine serves as a form of therapy, just like music does in my real life,” says Jake.

The video was shot by Jake Nuualitia, with lighting provided by Michael Goodwin. It was co-produced, art directed, AD’ed, choreographed and “basically every other odd-job under the sun” by Jake’s wife, Maya Love.

“We shot it in a small karaoke bar and had to clean up the space first and we found a lot of suspicious things under the seats. We had 15 takes to try and get the shot and the shot I ended up using was take 15. My wife and I also choreographed the dance moves for this music video together in our small kitchen supervised on by our ginger cat.”

Self-described as a “wannabe-cool goofball”, Jake creates eclectic indie-pop packed with playful hooks and tongue-in-cheek sensibilities. Having crossed paths with acclaimed artist/producer Matthew Young, the two started making music together, punctuating Jake’s jangly-pop with elements of hip-hop and Matthew’s signature style. It’s led to the release of a string of songs, including Better and Someone, Anyone, which will feature on Jake’s second EP, which will be released in 2023.

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