“I was in a castle in my dreams,” begins singer and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Barnett on single “Lost Boy.” Over a bed of synth-bass, live drums and shimmering guitar, the LA-by-way-of-NY artist ruminates on both losing and finding himself. The production is reminiscent of MGMT or Phoenix, with flares of California’s long legacy of surf rock. “I’m a lost boy/ Fuck it I’m a lost boy,” he sings with a mix of glee and exhaustion on the song’s chorus.
For the song’s music video, premiering exclusively today on PAPER, Barnett has teamed up with director and photographer Driely Carter (who has worked with the likes of Billie Eillish, Yves Tumor and Rosalía) to put together a '90s-inspired video that fittingly toggles between a rich sepia tone and a starker black-and-white. Having worked together since Barnett was just 15, the two show a deep comfort with each other, as they shoot in desert landscapes and gray, concrete parking lots. And with Barnett performing around various formations of vacant shoes, the two successfully evoke the wandering spirit of the song.
All of this is in the lead up to his forthcoming EP Jigsaw (September 13), which will similarly be an energetic excavation of Barnett’s creative state of mind. “I’ve spent the last four years, on and off, working on these 26-and-a-half minutes [of music],” Barnett tells PAPER. “Since I’ve started this project, I’ve made so many friends and lost some others. I fell in and out of love more than once. If a record is a marker of one’s life, then this marks most of mine.”
Having last talked to PAPER in 2019, we’re excited to be caught up to speed with the busy, rising artist.
The visual elements in the "Lost Boy" music video, particularly the play with color and light, are striking. How did you conceptualize the aesthetic for this video, and what emotions were you hoping to evoke in viewers?
Driely and I are both massive fans of the videos made back in the '90s, and so when we were working through the concept for this video, we really wanted to try and capture that energy through a performance. One video in particular that was a huge reference was Björk’s “Big Time Sensuality,” which is a single shot of her performing the song on the back of a flatbed. There is something about the simplicity of it, in black and white, that really let her song and the performance shine through.
But of course, we started shooting and found some spots around Lancaster that were so vibrant and so it seemed crazy to go black and white. After going back and forth between the two versions, unable to decide, we just said “fuck it” and toggled between both in moments that we thought each felt best.
The song itself is so colorful and so I was initially hesitant to add too much visually, but now really feel that the moments of color bring you further into the record rather than distracting you from it.
The video features multiple pairs of shoes surrounding you. Can you share the symbolism behind this imagery and how it ties into the themes of the song?
I am so damn lucky to have worked with the beyond-talented Driely S. on this whole project, but most so on this video. Driely was one of the first people to have ever shot me at 15 or 16 before I had even put any music out. She really has seen me grow and change (though she might say for the worst, haha) and this song is about a moment of that growth. About finding a new path out of a tough situation. So, when I told her that I wanted to do something in this direction she came up with the idea to show these different paths as footprints — or shoes. I think it’s a creative way to show where we all once stepped and where we might step next.
How does "Lost Boy" set the stage for the music you plan to continue to release? What can fans expect in terms of the evolution of your sound and visual style?
Really couldn’t be more excited to share this new record that “Lost Boy” is a part of. I’ve spent the last four years, on and off, working on these 26 and a half minutes. Since I’ve started this project, I’ve made so many friends and lost some others. I fell in and out of love more than once. If a record is a marker of one’s life, then this marks most of mine.
It’s difficult to articulate how exactly the sound of the project has changed other than to say that I made it in a really different way to my previous work. Most of the songs come from jams – completely unplugged – before being turned into a more fleshed out recording. And I think I’m most proud of how much you can hear the feeling that that process has captured – whether joy or pain, sadness or excitement.
Photography: Driely S
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
