Written by May Mansour
Moe Hani, AKA Dirty Backseat, is back with more astral chillwave tunage, visualised in a 70s-inspired music video for his single River. The idea is set between the two conflicting worlds of absence and richness in the human spirit, and three conflicting worlds within the artist himself; the psychotic persona in a red suit, the composed and confident façade in a white suit, and the artist in the studio devout to music and noise – eternally lost between all shades of himself in a seemingly lucid dream.
The song itself is more reminiscent of the ’90s-focused revival of the ’60s/’70s, by the likes of Dandy Warhols (only more lo-fi and electronically executed) along with the notorious Brian Jonestown Massacre – but less grim in sound and content. River sounds like a song you want to blast when you’re driving on the open road at the brink of daylight, escaping at last. Destination: beach! Calm beats, crisp synth, and dreamy vocals for the carelessly lost and free.
The music video is overflowing with effortless, emotive expressions, produced under Dirty Backseat’s SLOVVDK records. “The video was shot in an empty construction field in Tagamoa, at Kubbara’s studio El Warsha, and Retrograde Record Store in Zamalek”, says Moe Hani. “It was shot in a couple of days with a minimal crew, who are my real close friends, so overall it was so much fun”.
Dirty Backseat’s River was edited and directed by Asmaa Hesham Seleem and assistant director and DP, Mafric under Maison THE production house, and styled by Nuha Orbab and assistant stylist, Enas Haddad.
River is part of the upcoming 5-track EP Pop Heart Aching Songs.