The concept of Slowthai‘s “Feel Away” video has been done before — notably in the movie 1994 sci-fi comedy Junior — but Slowthai uses it to flip the the mood and and get contemplative instead of outrageous or funny. Where usually the UK grime upstart would be raging and flailing, here he uses an elaborate and surreal dream sequence to process his feelings about losing his baby brother. He prefaced the video’s release with an Instagram post dedicated to his brother the day before, announcing the song’s title and guests, James Blake and Mount Kimbie.
As befits those two features, the overall tone is morose, as Slowthai’s visit to the maternity ward with his girlfriend turns into a bizarre fantasy, with Slowthai becoming pregnant instead and giving birth as his girlfriend marries someone else. He wakes up and sees the baby, which turns out to be made of cake — I guess that particular quarantine craze got to all of us, in one way or another. Slowthai explains the video’s concept in statement: “This song is about the doubts we have whether it be within friendships, your partner or with our family,” he says. “It’s about putting yourself in the other person’s shoes so you have a better understanding of the situation.”
Earlier this year, Slowthai appeared in the video for Disclosure’s “My High” with Aminé and released the video for “BB (Bodybag).”
Watch Slowthai’s “Feel Away” video with James Blake and Mount Kimbie above.
