Origins is our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Briston Maroney takes us through the new music video for his song “Harvard.”
Nashville-based singer and songwriter Briston Maroney returns on Thursday (November 17th) with the video for “Harvard,” an anthemic indie jam that showcases his crystal clear voice and heartfelt lyricism. The track finds Maroney a bit agitated with the status of a frayed relationship, and complete with fuzzy guitars and his signature tenor, he sounds more free and unrestrained than ever before. “We used to talk so much, now we don’t say a thing,” Maroney laments on the pre-chorus, “Stuck in silence/ and I’m so tired of trying to see what all this means.”
He begs for transparency, but all the while, he turns that agitation into something confident and cathartic. It’s an intriguing turn for the songwriter, who helmed the track with Hippo Campus’ Jake Luppen. About the making of “Harvard,” Maroney shares that it was one of the first times he made music without his anxiety taking control. “It’s absolutely my instinct to let doubt seep in when I’m making music, but with the help of Jake [Luppen], this process felt like we were at summer camp for 3 days, having the time of our lives,” says Maroney.
Indeed, that playful, experimental spirit gives “Harvard” a much more impactful product; as the first chorus ends, Maroney shifts gears for a brief bridge, giving him a more meditative space to reflect on the situation. He shifts gears yet again as the final chorus finishes, segueing into a psychedelic, guitar-heavy outro that dares you not to bang your head along with it.
Today, Maroney has shared a fascinating music video for the track. Maroney technically stars in the visual, but his face is mostly generated through AI technology, allowing for a purely digitized and unique view of both Maroney and the song’s content. Directed by Joey Brodnax, the video shows Maroney’s face singing along in a variety of bizarre images: he sings as a skeleton in an X-Ray, as a drawing, as a ghost, as a vast, God-like figure in the cosmos, and many more absurd, eye catching scenarios.
Get a first look at the video for “Harvard” and read Briston Maloney’s breakdown of the single’s Origins below.
