Bicep: “Apricots” Video
A building sense of elemental euphoria by
BAFTA-winner director Mark Jenkin.
Bicep, the Belfast-born, London-based duo of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson, are gearing up for the release their second album “Isles”, set to drop on January 22 via Ninja Tune.
The record’s lead single “Apricots”, finds the pair sampling traditional Malawian singers—recorded in 1958 and released via the label Beating Heart—and a 1950’s performance by The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir, steeped in a shimmering bath of warm synths, its spare percussion and arresting vocals bring the big room chills of 90s rave, while still evoking something lost or forlorn.
The accompanying video is directed by Mark Jenkin, who recently took home a 2020 BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Director for his 2019 film “Bait”. Speaking about the video, Mark Jenkin says: “From the very first listen of ‘Apricots’ the visuals were pretty clear to me. I was excited to be given the chance to work with a track where the emphasis was on rhythm and repetition rather than narrative. My intention was to create a building sense of elemental euphoria using rudimentary stop motion to animate inanimate objects. I did this using a clockwork 16mm camera out on location and also in my studio with simple sets. The resulting footage, some of which was processed by hand, was then layered with hand-painted and tinted 8mm film to create a new composite with greater depth and movement. It was also great to be reunited with Chloe Endeen, who I’d previously worked with on my film Bait to add the human spirit element.”
Two years in the making, “Isles” expands on the artful energy of their 2017 debut “Bicep”, while digging deeper into the sounds, experiences and emotions that have influenced their lives and work. They describe “Isles” as “a snapshot in time” of their work in this period, with the tracks designed to evolve in their different iterations from record to live show and beyond. “This is definitely the home listening version,” says Matt, “the live version will be much, much harder”.
Pre-order the “Isles” LP here.
