Chemistry is the process of achieving a desired result through measured combining of unique elements and rigorous testing. The right combination can result in a thrilling reaction generating intense energy for sustained periods, or a brilliant flash that fizzles out as quickly as it began. It’s no surprise that the same term is used to describe the magic of attraction that happens, or doesn’t, between two people. Finding the right partner requires just as much measured combining and rigorous testing as a major chemical breakthrough, and the reward for diligence is an intoxicating tonic sure to leave the head spinning and the heart swooning.
Andre Baptista of Town Criers explores the science behind attraction with his latest single as G.M.G. “Death To Jealousy” kicks off into high gear with a retro synth loop that quickly layers in psychedelic rhythm and a jangly guitar lead that owes an evolutionary debt to the scruffy riffs that inspired previous generations’ Teenage Riots. The track is imbued with a sense of attractively vague familiarity of the same variety that coolly glides across a crowded room with a wry smile to deliver the genial inquiry “don’t I know you from somewhere?” It’s hard to resist the beguiling charms of this three-minute sonic flirtation, as G.M.G. combines all the right ingredients to elicit that all-important spark that draws two bodies closer with magnetic electricity.
Deftly fortifying commentary on interpersonal relations with chem-lab visual iconography and interpretive dance, G.M.G. communicate the challenging ambiguity of attraction with lighthearted aplomb. Born from sanguine chemical combinations in a test tube laboratory, a well-dressed molecule travels capillary corridors in search of the formula for Love Potion #9, encountering a group of free radicals drifting about in a social solution. Testing the bonds with this group of unique chemical entities proves fruitless but ultimately leads to an encounter with a solitary particle that reacts upon contact, mirroring moves before embracing in a slow dance of alchemical attraction. A perfect match!
Pooneh Ghana lends her unmatched visual flair to the video, muted two-dimensional hues played against each other in a celebration of color bold enough to rival the brightest dayglo supernova but without the optical overload. The interplay of warm natural-tones and rich reds spiced with a dash of watercolor pastels is like rainbow sprinkles melting into a scoop of mocha gelato and serves as a warmly approachable complement to G.M.G.’s musical composition. A photographer’s sensibilities are present throughout, expertly isolated each individual frame could serve as a sample pressed between transparent leaves of a microscope slide, every rotating click of the lenses revealing the teeming vitality that comprises the visual DNA of the video.
Stream “Death To Jealousy” on Spotify and follow G.M.G. on Instagram.
