Those with an impressive memory may recall we premiered Worst Place’s excellent double-A single, Square Eyes/Soak back in October. Today the London-based quarter are back with the accompanying video to Soak, created by Katie Iles-Spencer.

Soak is Worst Place at the most ambitious and epic, making the dramatic rooftop setting of the video all the more fitting. It’s a track that invites the listener in and then sends them tumbling off into an entirely different musical world. The track starts with a bright, almost country-sounding guitar riff, before the solid crack of drums and a rapid tumble of distant, reverberating vocals add even more purposeful propulsion. Just as you think it’s settling into a pattern it falls off a cliff; in the best way possible, as distorted chords clatter and ring, before jumping right back to where it left off. Then they go all Kiran Leonard or even Jeff Buckley on us as the drums and bass take a loose jazzy feel beneath the bright, jangling guitar. So many ideas are thrown at the track, yet they all have purpose and coherency, they all have something to bring to the table and they all shine brighter as the result of the others.

Watch the video below, then read on for director Katie Iles-Spencer’s memories of the video shoot, and a bee-related blooper.

Katie Iles-Spencer

The shoot for Worst Place was super calm, we lucked out getting access to a rooftop in waterloo. Once we’d scaled the ladder -sacrificing the bass drum- it was on to shooting some various setups and Worst Place performing ‘Soak’ for the construction workers opposite.

We were a small but experienced camera crew of three, all currently working at the same equipment hire company while also shooting projects like this one. Worst Place were great to shoot as they came with so much energy, I really liked their self shot video for ‘The Sun Changed Everything’, so went for a performative/playful structure for ‘Soak’ rather than a narrative.

As well as “soaking” up the sights and getting our steps up, we also experienced some local wildlife (see vid). Turns out Waterloo bumblebees are formidable and really into blondes.

VIDEO CREDITS

DOP – Katie Iles-Spencer @wayout_
Editor – J.D.P. Croy @steezwithtrees
Camera Assistan – Cameron Scott Campbell @camcam_thecameraman
Camera Assistant – Mia Frigieri-Baldwin @mia.dop
Runner – Matt Kennedy @matt__kenn

Square Eyes/Soak is out now. Click HERE for more information on Worst Place.