Electronic Music Embraces Mental Health In Animated 'Phases' Video From Bottler

Brooklyn-based Electronic duo Bottler have shared an animated sci-fi music video along with their newest single, "Phases." Written by Bottler and animated by Daikon (Dylan Goodsell), "Phases" is, in fact, the first song the pair wrote together and dates back to 2014.

The video has a throwback feel calling out "the joy of 1990's anime" and focusing on a theme that the band feels is of "peak importance": mental health. The single will be on the Grow EP due out on October 16th via French Electronic label InFiné. It was recorded at AV8TED, an art-house studio in New York City.

They say, regarding the song "Phases":

"Though in its current state it sounds nothing like the original demo, the spirit of the song has remained. Many of the dusty, lo-fi sounds come from long lost pieces of gear; a Roland JP-8080, a Korg Triton, and a Moog that couldn't stay in tune to save it's life. It is a song about finding the words to explain the dark and confusing periods in life, and longing to find a place in the world amidst them."

The "Phases" video is narrative-driven piece structured to appear as a single episode of what could have been a larger 90's animated series. Most scenes were built and rendered in 3D and composited in a manner that would help sell the aged look and feel, according to the band.

With a nod to director Leiji Matsumoto, who made the iconic Daft Punk video for "One More Time by Daft Punk," the video is a collaboration between manga style visuals and Eectronic Pop.

Bottler says they are "generally obsessed with anything Toei, going back to childhood" and that the last couple pages of the video treatment were mainly just screenshots from "Dragon Ball Z."