Psychedelic folk/rock artist Kris Kelly shares haunting new video for 'More' directed by Kris Moyes
08 April 2020
Newsdesk
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Kris Kelly is pleased to share the song and video for his newest single “More”, which premiered last Friday on HuffPost. Director Kris Moyes is well known for his innovative music videos for artists such as Sia, Beck, Grizzly Bear, The Presets, and others.
The video, like the song, is hypnotic, mesmerizing, and slightly disturbing. As Kris Kelly puts it:
“‘More’ is a song about the journey for fulfillment and happiness and looking in all the wrong places expecting to find it. We look to pills, sex, drugs, TV, even ‘love’ from our partner, to feel good but none of it ever does in the long term, and it all often makes us feel even more empty in the end. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the search for more and more and more to fill that endless void inside. In “More”, the narrator has given up on the uncomfortable inward journey of learning to love himself, and instead seeks out any escape. Because why bother when the modern world offers so many ways to numb him from moment to moment, day to day?
When director Kris Moyes and I first began discussing the ‘More’ video, he immediately was drawn to a narrative loosely based on the 7 Deadly Sins which was interesting to me as well. He sent me a lot of dark images that really felt right for the song, just to nail down the vibe. In the end, each of the characters in the video ended up representing a different ‘sin’. It was really fascinating to witness the way Kris works, because he’s insanely creative and given a few raw materials, he’ll come up with an amazing, unexpected idea on the spot. So we had a rough idea of a concept and characters, but so much of the magic and images came spontaneously during the shoot, when he’d just have a wild idea for an action or visual shot.”
Kris will be bringing “Runaways” to audiences live, with performances planned in Austin (SXSW postponed show), Los Angeles, and NYC in Fall 2020.
Kris Kelly’s songs unfold like cinematic musical journeys. Beautifully honest and intimate, his sound somehow feels both bold and new, yet nostalgic for the musical purity of the 60’s and 70’s.
Based in Brooklyn, NY, Kris started out studying classical voice and music composition at NYU. For years he performed his original compositions at many popular NYC venues, before embarking on a five-year journey through South America with just his guitar and a suitcase. Living mostly in Argentina and Brazil, Kelly met his former husband, and his travel experiences inspired the core of Kelly’s new album “Runaways” — filled with pure love, loss, discovery, and growth.
When he returned to the USA, Kelly recorded the album between NYC and LA with an all-star team of musicians. “Runaways” features Kris on acoustic guitar & vocals, lush instrumental arrangements by John Philip Shenale (Tori Amos), Todd Sickafoose (Grammy Winner for “Hadestown”, Ani DiFranco) on bass, Brian Griffin (Lana Del Rey, The Lone Bellow, Brandi Carlile) on drums, Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette) & Benji Lysaght (Father John Misty) on electric guitar, and Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple, Lana Del Rey) on keyboards.
Kelly self-produced the album and it was mixed by Grammy winner Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Andy Shauf).
“Runaways” showcases Kris’s psychedelic fingerpicked guitar parts, often operatic vocals, and his innate ability to bear his soul through vulnerable, intimate lyrics that draw you in like you’re speaking directly to an old friend. Filled with lush strings, dreamy electric guitar, and hypnotic keys and organ, “Runaways” is a musical journey that draws you inward and stirs the soul.
