Oscillopsia is defined as a visual disturbance in which stationary objects are perceived as shaking, bouncing, wobbling, or oscillating. Los Angeles post-punk trio Chalk Teeth are no strangers to the bizarre and almost otherworldly sensation – drum programmer and bassist Jason Miller had his own experience with it, and it also became the title of the heaviest track on the band’s debut album, which was released this past summer via DNTL Records. Today, the band shares the music video for “Oscillopsia.”
Describing their sound as “shoegaze-tinged, motorik darkwave” that ultimately creates a “hypnotic, flickering dance rite,” Chalk Teeth embrace both the dark and the absurd, and the music video watches like a love letter to both. The retro, found-footage-horror-esque visuals of “Oscillopsia” have an almost hallucinatory quality to them, making the video a visceral experience that is just as surreal and uncanny as the condition from which the title was coined. Despite the video’s divergence towards a lighter, more cartoonish version of the original home invasion concept the band had conjured, the interplay of the imagery with vocalist Karolina Wallace’s haunting Polish vocals layered over delayed synths and menacing distortions still retains that abrasive, bone-chilling quality that is characteristic of Chalk Teeth. As the song builds momentum and churns urgency, the video descends into ever stranger, ever more bewitching territory, juxtaposing cartoonish violence and teeth-pulling against a Los Angeles pool party backdrop.
Céline Comolet, director, shares: “I know the band personally, and while their music is quite serious, the band members themselves are hilarious. So I really wanted to showcase that aspect with the music video. The concept for it is inspired by old POV DV horror films and Buster Keaton. Originally we were going to shoot in Joshua Tree, but as we were working with a shoestring budget, we ended up pivoting to a friend and fellow musician’s place in Arcadia. The process was incredibly collaborative and a lot of fun. I’m really pleased with what we made! I hope others enjoy it too!”
Experience oscillopsia:
Listen to Chalk Teeth’s self-titled debut album: