Illustration by Cynthia Alfonso, see more of her work here and here.
2017 is almost over—both a blessing and a curse (we all thought things couldn’t get worse than 2016 but here we are…). Our editors are going through moments of musical and cultural reflection and we’ll be rolling out a series of our favorite moments of 2017. Stay tuned for more.
It’s really hard for me to care about a music video but this one, the first thing I’d ever seen or heard from HMLTD was so shockingly captivating that I’ve been talking about it ever since. It has everything, red leather pants, rococo robes, and a blood bath. And of course, it helps that the track itself feels like you’re excitedly rushing towards assured destruction.
— Tamim Alnuweiri
Probably my favorite single of 2017, “Dum Surfer” followed King Krule’s more introspective and sensitive return to music “Czech One” with an impulsive, drunk and loud track. The video is telling of the entire album, of what Archy Marshall means by The Ooz, of how un-seriously he takes himself and ultimately how disconnected he finds himself from the rest of humanity. Covered in non natural bodily fluids and mucus, King Krule performs to a Twin Peaks crowd of an desolate bar.
— Tamim Alnuweiri
Kelela “LMK”
The second I was finished watching this video I had a high-school era reaction, immediately texting my friends if they had seen it and posting it on Facebook. When will your fave drop a video about the importance of communication and accountability in hookup culture that also offers a vision of the sickest party ever? Kelela may not have had a SZA-level breakout this year, but this reto-futuristc parade of wigs and slick dance moves confirmed her star status for those who were paying attention. To whoever didn’t make their desire clear with Kelela in the club, your loss.
—Mo Wilson
Any release by Sophie comes with a certain level of excitement, but this video (her first) caused a full-scale meltdown alt gay twitter. While “It’s Okay to Cry” never reached heavy rotation in my life, I kept coming back to it’s surreally beautiful video. Friends and I gathered around to talk about whether or not Sophie had gotten cheek implants, how her hair color made her look like a young Winifred Sanderson, and the logistics of fan blowing. We screamed as she danced in the rain, channeling her liberation. For a musician who for so long had avoided the public eye, “It’s Ok to Cry” was a stunning step into the public spotlight.
—Mo Wilson
When we first posted about this video, Jake wrote “In times like these tenderness is hard to come by, but Jay Som’s “The Bus Song” offers three and half minutes of musical and visceral relief.” A happy-go lucky parade of ethnically diverse DIY kids was maybe the most kumbaya reaction to the shit storm that was 2017. This video was a morale booster, a comforting hug, a silly joke a friend tells you when you’re feeling glum. “I’ll be the one that sticks around” Melina Duterte sings, and I hope to goddess that’s true.
—Mo Wilson
Maggie Rogers “On + Off”
Okay admittedly I am by no means an authority on dance, but I’ve never seen anything quite like Maggie Rogers’ moves, at once fluid and poised but also so off the cuff and in the moment. Her videos are always infectious and joyous. “Alaska,” “Dog Years” and the recently released “Split Stones” were all shot on gorgeous locations, but “On + Off” pretty much centers solely on Rogers’ dancing. She struts onto a blank stage, rocking a deliciously 70s glam rock, all-white outfit with a Western flare. She then seems to magically conjure a slew of more colorfully dressed friends to come rock out with her, and the camera turns to reveal the set, which like everything Rogers does, lets us know that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and this is all in good fun.
— Nikki Barnhart
Lorde “Green Light”
I basically want to blow up every frame of this and hang it up in my apartment or maybe a museum somewhere. The light, the colors, it’s perfect. And Lorde singing to herself in an ornate bathroom into a dirty mirror, bathed in a green glow is iconic and the most #onbrand thing I’ve ever seen. Even though we see others throughout—bodies clubbing behind her, the driver vaping as she dances on the car’s roof, cabs driving down the street, Jack Antonoff playing the piano in the corner—Lorde is alone, these others seem to exist in different dimensions. This is a song about a personal catharsis, relinquishing something deeply rooted inside of you—feelings monumental in your own mind but invisible to others. In this video, through its propulsive, all-consuming life, we are pulled into Lorde’s catharsis, and it’s impossible not to feel our own along with hers.
— Nikki Barnhart
For those unacquainted, Steve Lacy is an extremely satisfying singer-songwriter acting on the fringes of hip-hop and indie rock. He’s got the warped vibe of Mac Demarco with the buttery voice of Stevie Wonder. He’s got a great smile and a great style. He’s affiliated with major hip-hop/R&B names like Tyler the Creator, GoldLink, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, J. Cole… but plays the hell out of a guitar, dancing tight little circles around its surf rock influences. He’s just damn satisfying. Oh, he’s also a member of the band The Internet, front by Syd (originally of Odd Future).
Steve Lacy really cannot be pigeonholed into his connections, however. Lacy’s music and overall artistic input has a genre-breaking feeling, one that is well-captured in his duo-music video for the two songs “Ryd” and “Dark Red.” Not only does Lacy combine these two songs into one video telling a singular story, showing a range of his musical styles, Lacy gives us a taste of a quaint little narrative driving his music: a woman out for revenge. This video uses camera devices to avoid directly showing conflict, but makes for a fun little screen-search when everyone’s actions seem to be off-screen.
— Will Collins
BROCKHAMPTON “STAR”
BROCKHAMPTON, composed of many members in many different roles, not limited to Kevin Abstract, Ameer Van, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, Jabari Manwa, Kiko Merley, JOBA, Ashlan Grey, Henock “HK” Sileshi, Bearface, Roberto, and Romil Hemnani, is on the verge of impressive mainstream success. This success story began when many members of the group met on an online Kanye West fan-forum, deciding over time to move in together to a South Central LA apartment and start making all sorts of content. This includes the launch of many, many music videos self-produced this year (largely by Kevin Abstract), which feature both meme-able humor and cinematic intensity a la Tarantino. The song “STAR,” a fan favorite with easily mimicked lines referencing pop-culture stars, is one of these videos. It features much of BROCKHAMPTON channelling oompa loompas: painted blue in orange jumpsuits and maneuvering large pencils.
— Will Collins
“The Strangle of Anna” The Moonlandingz
— Elena Childers
Black Lips “Can’t Hold On”
—Julie Anna George
Starcrawler “I Love LA”
—Julie Anna George
—Julie Anna George