Music Video Premiere: We Cut Corners -€“ Blue

Dublin duo We Cut Corners, aka guitarist John Duignan and drummer Conall O'Breachain, present their new music video for Blue, the third single from their sophomore album Think Nothing, dropping on 12 May via Delphi. It is the follow-up to 2011's Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards, which drew praise from The 405, Artrocker and Radio 1's Phil Taggart, among others.

Following the first two singles, YKK and Best Friend, new single Blue is directed and animated by Antoni Sendra Barrachina, and stars Marta Chiner, Victor Rosen Pau Marina and Héctor Fuster. The story is by Carles Chiner and Antoni Sendra Barrachina. We interviewed Duignan about their new album, the video for Blue, and the rude health of the Dublin music scene from which We Cut Corners sprang – read it in full below.

How have things changed for you as a band since your debut album?
The success of our debut gave us the belief to proceed in the way we write and perform songs. We've become more assured of our work and have a very clear idea of how we want to evolve the band in future recording forays.

Dublin seems to have a healthy musical scene – what's it like gigging there, do you get a lot of love from the crowds in your home city?
Dublin's music scene is really thriving with acts like Liza Flume and Jennifer Evans making incredible music locally, and Hozier and Little Green Cars on the cusp of breaking globally. Dublin crowds are endearingly attentive and supportive so it's the place that we enjoy playing the most.

Your previous album was recognised in the Choice Music prize nominations for Irish Album of the Year – how did this affect your approach to the second album, was their pressure to deliver something even bigger and bolder?
Not at all – we were, of course, humbled to have our record considered within the stand-out releases of that year. Obviously we want each album to be better than its predecessor but any approximation of pressure would probably impinge on our creativity and thus, isn't entertained.

Tell us about the song Blue – what inspired it, and what is it about?
Blue is the most physical song on our new record, Think Nothing, so it's always quite cathartic to perform it live. The challenge with recording this song was crystallising that energy into a 3-minute recording. The song is a meditation on alienation, dislocation and isolation in the guise of an anthemic singalong.  

Tell us about the video for Blue - how was it filmed and animated, and how much involvement did you guys have as a band with the story, direction and feel of the video?
We came across Antoni Sendra Barrachina's work on Vimeo and were really taken with the way he melded a variety of media to create incredibly fluid, dynamic films. Antoni pitched the concept and, although it was somewhat obtuse on paper, we trusted his instincts and creative impulses. He delivered a piece of film with a beautifully realised narrative arc, which is visually gratifying and conveys the sense of melodrama inherent in the song.

LINKS
We Cut Corners – official website
We Cut Corners on Facebook
@WeCutCorners on Twitter

Credits:
Direction and Animation: Antoni Sendra Barrachina. Mother: Marta Chiner. Son: Pau Marina. Friend: Víctor Rosen. Mother's boyfriend: Héctor Fuster. Story: Carles Chiner and Antoni Sendra. DOP: Jano Sempere. Camera assistant: Carles Chiner. Art: Dolo Chanzá. Producer: Jara Barrachina. Catering: Raquel Sánchez. Thanks to: Moy Santana, Carlos Aparicio, Amparo Carrió, María Rosa Barrachina, Marc Guardiola, Edo Seligra