Alvvays is an indie pop band primarily based out of Toronto, and their newest music video is created by an surprising artist: ConcernedApe, also called Eric Barone. Barone is the developer of basic farm sim Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier, an RPG at present in growth.
The surprising collaboration was the results of a collection of fortuitous occasions. Molly Rankin, vocalist and guitarist for Alvvays, despatched the developer an e-mail asking if he could be all for contributing a bit of artwork to the sport. Barone accepted, and began arising with concepts whereas listening to Alvvays’ Blue Rev album. “I felt like, ‘I can’t simply draw a picture, I gotta go all the way in which,” Barone says in a name with Polygon. “It’s simply the type of individual I’m. It’s arduous for me to restrain myself to a quite simple factor.”
Whereas Barone is understood for pixel artwork, just like the little avatars and portraits that signify the farmer’s buddies in Stardew Valley, he took a extra experimental course of with the music video. The characters journey by a collection of surreal and textured environments impressed by side-scrollers.
“I needed to study new stuff too, as a result of there’s a 3D part, and I’ve by no means carried out 3D stuff earlier than,” says Barone. “I needed to study utterly new ideas for that, however that was enjoyable. And I’d be capable of use that sooner or later — I at all times thought I’d by no means make a 3D sport, however after this I really feel like I might and it will truly be type of enjoyable and fascinating.”
Alvvays performs Stardew Valley usually on tour, bringing a number of Switches on the street. “I feel there’s like a component of humanity and empathy in Stardew,” says Rankin in a name with Polygon. “It’s meditative and simply form of this universe you may get misplaced in for a protracted time frame the place nobody actually dies and the whole lot is pretty mild.”
The band was shocked at Barone’s initiative in creating a complete music video, but it surely synced effectively with the themes of the album. “It’d be secure to say we don’t need to make music that seems like being on the web,” says Alec O’Hanley, guitarist, in the identical name. “We actively do attempt to create work that displays an earlier indeterminant period. A lot of our favourite works accomplish that, whether or not it’s an album or a portray or a online game. We attempt to not delve too deep into nostalgia, however we additionally don’t take into account {that a} soiled phrase. By any stretch.”
