We have the pleasure of sharing the new video for ‘Dover‘, the first music video from Manchester-born indie-folk artist Joshua Howlett‘s debut EP ‘Autumnal’.
Joshua is now based in a chalet near Montreux, Switzerland, and signed to Big Fam Records. You can hear the inspiration from both of these cultures in ‘Dover’. As he explains below, the white cliffs of Dover in the song symbolise home whilst the open tranquil vistas of Switzerland are easy to visualise with his expansive unrushed melodic notes.
Lyrically he talks of real experiences; hopes, thoughts, anxiety and love symbolised with descriptions of the stunning mountains and forests around him.
Recording his debut EP ‘Autumnal’, surrounded by experienced live musicians who immersed themselves in Joshua’s work, the end result is a body of work which is mature, honest and atmospheric. Certainly, a name to watch out for.
Joshua shared the following on the song and video:
“Imagine you’re in the middle of the ocean, trying desperately to float, for some sort of respite. The waves are crashing into you, depleting all the breath you had saved up. Crying out for a port in the storm, a beam of light shining through the crack in the door, hoping for the outline of the cliffs of Dover, to show that you’ve made it home.
“Dover is about feeling overwhelmed, that everything going on is just that little bit too much to handle, like your head’s constantly underwater. The song is inspired by soldiers coming home during/after the second world war. On their way back, the first thing they’d see that told them they’d made it home would be the white cliffs of Dover.
“’Give me Dover, when I’m under the weather.’ is referencing that; give me something that reminds me of home when I’m feeling overwhelmed away from it.
“It’s asking for a port in a storm, give me something to drag me out of the waves and back to dry land, metaphorically.
“In respect of the video, we wanted to do a few things with it. On the one hand we wanted something wide and atmospheric, in line with the vibe of the song, and on the other hand we wanted to show a metaphorical journey, perhaps from one state of mind to another.
“Our ‘fil rouge’ is the armchair, which references a piece of home which is brought with you anywhere you go, like a memory or a charm.”
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