Music videos are just another way for artists to bring their music to life and extend an artistic vision. Especially in today’s visual, streaming, and social media dominated world it’s now more than ever an important time for artists to bring their music to life in a way that translates well with their fans while still maintaining originality.
2017 not only brought hundreds of thousands of new songs from hundreds of artists, it brought thousands of amazing music videos that told stories like never before. This makes it hard for anyone, including myself, to pick just five amazing videos from the entire year. So, here are five that really spoke to me this year.
5) Bishop Briggs, ‘Dreams’
Bishop Briggs worked her way to crush pop this year with haunting melodies and killer space buns. In her music video for “Dream,” you’re taken through a bone-chilling, never-ending dreamscape where Briggs is fighting herself. Joined by an army of musicians and a robotic trance, you can see her work against every fiber of her being to break free.
4) Stacked Like Pancakes, ‘Planetary’
For a small band, Stacked Like Pancakes sure made a big music video for “Planetary” off their 2015 release This Is Us, premiered in mid-October. Stacked Like Pancakes can be seen running through the streets of Baltimore, Maryland trying to get on the last rockets leaving Earth. Full of effects and cinematics that haven’t been used this way in a music video before, the band teased the video to me while we talked at Warped Tour last summer saying “There’s going to be like rocket ships flying out of the city of Baltimore, I think anyways. We were just there in front of a green screen”.
3) Neck Deep, ‘In Bloom’
For a band that you wouldn’t typically associate pastel pinks, blues, and purples with, Neck Deep totally blew minds with “In Bloom”. Not only as a video is it a different track for the band, the sound itself is different from everything they band usually does. Thought it’s pretty simple video all around, it amplifies the message hidden in the track.
2) Sigrid, ‘Strangers’
If you’re a fan of people awkwardly dancing and having the time of their lives in music videos, then this one from Sigrid is for you. The Norwegian singer has been turning pop around and back again in 2017 with her catchy melodies and pop anthems like “Don’t Kill My Vibe.” But “Strangers” brings Sigrid’s pop to a new level with lyrics that just about anyone can relate to. You also can’t help but smile at how happy she looks dancing around rocks in a bright yellow shirt and mom jeans.
1) Dua Lipa, ‘Lost In Your Light (ft. Miguel)’
Everyone is talking about “New Rules” like it’s the only video and track Dua Lipa has released this year. Spoiler alert: she released an entire amazing self-titled album. And please don’t get me wrong, “New Rules” and its visuals are great — Dua’s just got a lot more to offer pop music than a few rules for keeping boys away. “Lost In Your Light (ft. Miguel)” has great dance numbers and a flying Dua making it next level compared to “New Rules”. While Dua has an incredible voice, her ability to bring a song to life in such a visual way creates an even better story for every song. I absolutely cannot wait to see what 2018 brings Dua and her music.
