Austin-based shoegaze/dreampop group Letting Up Despite Great Faults have shared the official music video for single She Spins. Shot entirely on 16mm, the video is the perfect companion to the jangly, upbeat, and infectious track, off of the band’s new album ‘IV,’ out everywhere now.
On the video, vocalist/guitarist Mike Lee tells v13, “We worked with our favourite director Vanessa Pla for our favourite song off the album, ‘She Spins.’ Shot entirely on 16 mm, Vanessa helped us capture the hazy and fleeting feelings we all experience when it comes to love and jealousy and how we frame them in our memories.” Watch the video clip for She Spins via YouTube below.
Letting Up Despite Great Faults—Mike Lee (vocals, guitar), Kent Zambrana (bass), Annah Fisette (vocals, guitar), Daniel Schmidt (drums)—return a changed group. The band’s full-length ‘IV’ is their first album in eight years and investigates personal narratives around growth, loss, regret, and renewal. The process required more of Lee, as the principal songwriter.
“I think when you search deeper, and you’ve had more life experiences, there is maturation from which to pull,” explained Lee. “But hopefully, the creativity feels a little bit richer. I don’t want to say IV is necessarily darker than our previous work, but I think there’s more of an awareness of mortality, the mortality of everyone else. You reflect more about the people you love, why you love, how long you love.”
Sonically, the group’s sound also explores a more aggressive, forward-leaning approach, wherein Lee elected to break the shoegaze/indiepop hermetic shield of synths and filtering. For ‘IV,’ Lee realized the agency of his voice, thrusting it forward, where it was once “an instrument” in Letting Up’s gauzy yet layered expanse of sound.
The cascading Corners Pressed delves into how particular events are remembered from separate viewpoints, essentially becoming unique, reality-altering memories for each during recall. ‘Gemini’ features Lee leaning into his vocal talent, separating from the gorgeous swells. The track’s lyrics investigate how ostensibly impossible and incredible lasting relationships exist within an increasingly transient world.
“We know that everything is temporary,” said Lee. “But somehow, we tie this never-ending existence to our connection with each other.”
‘IV’ Track listing
01. Kisses
02. Corners Pressed
03. Softly, Bravely
04. Gorgeous
05. New Ground
06. Gemini
07. She Spins
08. Tumble
09. Curl
10. Self-Portrait
More information on Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Letting Up Despite Great Faults was founded by Mike Lee in Los Angeles, CA. He wrote an EP in 2006 described by NPR as “beautiful, lolling music.” But it wasn’t until a few years later where he would give us noisier and lusher soundscapes on a debut LP buzzed about all around the blogosphere. Pitchfork found the first single on MySpace, while Mike found his first bandmate Kent Zambrana (bass) on Craigslist. Wild times.
As they were crafting a more well defined sound, they decided to move to Austin, TX, where they found Daniel Schmidt (drums) and Annah Fisette (guitar, keys, vocals). With a new full length filled with deeper stories and dreamier soundscapes, they hope to show fans, old and new, their little corner of the world.
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