The Los Angeles-based genre-bending artist, singer-songwriter, and producer Eddie Cohn highlight our uncanny similarities to wild "Animals" with a thorough and conceptual music video.
Also a podcaster, DJ, yoga teacher, and dreamer, Eddie Cohn is best known for his devotion to the business of illumination. Constantly revealing layers and aspects of himself through each and every endeavor, musical or not, Eddie Cohn is always one dissect essential and important themes throughout his artistic journey.
On track to release his forthcoming album 'Dystopian Days' later this year, Eddie Cohn recently dropped the album's second single and music video entitled "Animals." Directed by Leslie Andrew Ridings, viewers can catch Eddie Cohn delivering his passionate performance amid a post-industrial landscape. The song itself was written as a response to the city's tension during the George Floyd protests, and the music video is said to capture the same sense of destabilization.
Hitting play on the music video for "Animals," the visuals open with a shot of a serene woman floating in the water while transitioning over to Eddie Cohn in the back alleys of LA and strolling through the train tracks. While he begins delivering his magnetic and passionate performance, we later see scenes of the woman in the water fully submerge herself below, as she's said to represent the city's spirit during turmoil.
As Eddie Cohn continues his powerful performance while the blurred and backlit city stands behind him, the woman later peaks her head above the water in a state of shock. While Eddie Cohn continues to emphasize human begins and their violent actions, he also recognizes our innate similarities to wild animals, as these tragic occurrences should only be witnessed in the heat of mother nature.
Watch Eddie Cohn's conceptual music video for "Animals" on YouTube, and stay up to date with the versatile artist as he prepares to drop his forthcoming album, 'Dystopian Days,' later this year.
We truly appreciate the in-depth concept you've delivered within your recent music video for "Animals." What inspired you to create a music video that emphasizes our similarities to the violent acts of wild animals?
Well first off, thanks so much for asking me to be a part of BuzzMusic and for premiering the video. I think the song was inspired by the riots, protests, and ensuing chaos that enveloped 2020. And throughout it all, we have the media analyzing us and trying to make sense of such nonsensical behavior, but maybe our behavior is incomprehensible sometimes. Our carnal, raw, and violent tendencies have been a cornerstone for centuries but at this point, should we be surprised by the violence and gross nature of humans? Have human beings always acted this way or is it getting worse? I think watching the violence unfold coupled with the media's attempt to "explain" it all was confusing and challenging to come to terms with. Sure, human beings have the potential to create magic and true wonder but we often don't look much different than a wild animal. The propulsion towards violence, our need to be liked, or the way we follow the crowd certainly mirrors wild animals. It's complicated but I thought a lot about these themes while writing the song. What was your shooting process like when working with producer Leslie Andrew Ridings for your music video, "Animals"? How did he help navigate/execute your vision?
Leslie has been a friend of mine for over ten years and I've truly resonated with his style as a producer and filmmaker. We try to make videos that feel like little movies where it feels like the viewer is "in the movie" right there next to me. We typically go into each project with a "Guerrilla" mindset. We sort of have an idea but we never like to be too locked in on a specific direction. We like to allow spontaneity to be a defining part of the process. First off, Leslie found an incredible location and it's obviously crucial to have good lighting and pick a good time of day to shoot, but once we arrived at the locale and set up, we try to live in the moment and feel what the area is giving us energy-wise. The beauty of the sun and the skyline of the city we felt would be an eye-catching and thought-provoking juxtaposition to the sort of gritty area where we were shooting. Why did you want to add the various scenes of a woman in the water within your music video for "Animals? How does she represent the spirit of the city?
I don't like to get too deep into the meaning and symbolism of imagery because I do believe a lot of the fun is allowing the viewer to come up with their own point of view. I think, today especially, we look for answers to "everything." There's less mystery and curiosity with so many people wanting explanations which ironically was another theme of the song. Sometimes, human beings can't be understood. With all of that said, I do feel she added a valuable contrast to the grittiness of the city and the images of me. She may also represent the angel who is looking out over us all. I sing the lyrics, "They've got eyes on you." That line was sort of meant to mean, be careful what you do or think before you act because maybe there is a higher power who is watching over us all.
Why did you choose to release the single and music video for "Animals" prior to your forthcoming album, 'Dystopian Days'? Does the song/video get listeners ready for more in-depth themes and concepts within the project?
The record has been finished for about a month but knowing we live in a musically "single" and ADHD world, I'm opting to release a couple of singles before I release the record at the end of the summer. FREEDOM was the first single and with ANIMALS, there's a combination of strings and percussion, which is used on much of the record so I felt it was an appropriate song to release next. It also felt like a nice shift from the previous single and since the record is thematically about the dystopian look of the 2020 world, I felt ANIMALS made sense to release next.
What has been your personal favorite release of 2020?
Music-wise, the new ZHU record just came out today and I'm a huge fan of his. I'm digging it so far. Masego released a bunch of new music in 2020 and he's always at the top of my list. Book-wise, I went back and read a few classics in 2020. Catcher in the Rye, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and 1984. It's sort of startling and eye-opening to see how the themes of those novels are so relevant today. What can fans anticipate next?
I can't wait to release the full record later this year. It's entitled Dystopian Days and it should come out towards the end of the summer. I'm recording some remixes right now for some of the songs which should come out in the coming months and I'm also planning to release an ambient EP with more acoustic/piano-driven music catered towards yoga and meditation. I'm also a yoga teacher and I think after a year like 2020, we can all use a little downtime and a space to relax.
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