Following the release of their sophomore EP ‘Same World, Different Eyes’, Dust In The Sunlight return with their stunning video for ‘Handful Of Water’. The visual is the third in a series of choreographed videos and comes as the final piece of the puzzle.
Since the release of their EP in June, the band revealed an electrifying collaboration with The Big Pink which saw them feature on the band’s new single ‘Love Spins on Its Axis’ the release saw support from the likes of NME, Stereogum, Rolling Stone and offers up yet another reason why Dust In The Sunlight are an exciting duo to keep eyes on.
Directed by Alex Newton, the video captures the essence of the EP through beautiful choreography from Kat Collings. Sharing more about the concept for the video, Alex Newton shared: The idea for Handful of Water was born out of the Nike ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ split screen advert from a few years back. The ad fuses footage of amateur athletes with pro Nike athletes to make one conjoined image. The plan was to imitate this but with two dancers, in two different locations performing a routine that had been choreographed specifically for the video and for this visual motif.
Our twist on this led to us adopting a different editing technique where we’d cut directly between the dancers as opposed to splitting the screen. This gave the whole video a very different energy which I felt better suited the song and the footage we had. The final video reflects this change. One performance, sewn together using two dancers to make something greater than the sum of its parts.
Written in the first moments of freedom post-lockdown, Handful of Water is a moment of new perspective and a reminder to trust your gut. The theme of perspective runs throughout the EP and it’s something that the new video echoes wonderfully.
Sharing more on the track the band explained: We wrote about that feeling of being cornered into a way of living or being with someone that doesn’t feel right… and kind of saying that life is too short for that. It’s very easy to dwell on things that have gone wrong, relationships that haven’t worked out, or people who have hurt you. A way out of that is to take a second to look around and realise how tiny and huge everything is at the same time. It’s very grounding.
After a chance meeting at a recording session in 2017 as solo artists, Annie Rew Shaw and Billy Wright’s vocals merged so effortlessly that everyone in the room agreed this had to be the beginning of something special. Within 12 months of their official formation, Dust in The Sunlight signed to indie label Project Melody.
After honing their sound and merging their skills, the pair released their debut EP during the first UK lockdown in 2020. The self entitled body of work won many hearts with its gorgeous showcase of harmonious vocals and tender songwriting. Scooping support from the likes of BBC Introducing, Radio X, Clash and Record of The Day who after describing the sound as ‘A fine blend of Royksopp, The XX and London Grammar’ it was clear to see this band is onto a good thing.
Today with their second EP under their belt and their first UK tour completed, It’s clear the band have been ever-evolving since their launch. Same World, Different Eyes scooped much acclaim from the likes of Atwood Magazine describing “Former Lives as a ‘tenderly hypnotic song of escape and rediscovery’ and Clash Magazine confirming that the new EP ‘pushes the pair to fresh heights’.
Keep all eyes on Dust In The Sunlight to see what they do next.