Artist:
SHOUT OUT LOUDS
Label:
MERGE RECORDS
Video:
“TONIGHT I HAVE TO LEAVE IT”
Director:
Tom & Ted Malmros
Add Date:
August 2, 2007

Greetings music video aficionados! It’s Andy Gesner and the staff from HIP Video Promo, here with an outstanding clip from an internationally-acclaimed indie band almost certain to replicate their Scandinavian popularity in America. Shout Out Louds are already stars in their native Sweden – Our Ill Wills, their latest effort, is already a bestseller there. They’ve also had success in England: “Please Please Please”, the single from their debut Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, was a huge hit and the album has received rave reviews and put the band on UK tours with The Strokes and The Magic Numbers. The quintet has made a mark in the U.S., too. Shout Out Louds music has been featured on One Tree Hill and The OC, performed on both Leno and Letterman, and the group already has a triumphant appearance at SXSW and Coachella on its resume. The Stockholm combo has also toured the US with several similar-minded North American bands: Kings Of Leon, The Futureheads, and The Dears, just to name a few, not to mention that they played all over the globe in support of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff. They’ve been discussed on stateside weblogs and praised in the New York Times. When it’s released in the U.S. in autumn, the scintillating Our Ill Wills is sure to cement the group’s status as one of this country’s favorite European imports.

Shout Out Louds are lucky to have their own in-house director: bassist Ted Malmros, whose production company (that also includes his brother Tom) has shot clips for many popular Scandinavian bands. His animated video for “Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn & John became one of the best-loved spots of 2006, received international acclaim (and thousands of downloads on social-networking sites), and won the bassist and filmmaker a Swedish Grammy. The Malmros brothers-directed clip for “Tonight I Have To Leave It” – the lead single from Our Ill Wills – is described as a documentary, and it does indeed have the intimate feel of a video diary or an exploration journal. Shot aboard a giant transport ship, it follows the story of a young man’s journey across the ocean. All the seafaring details are here: the cramped quarters and steamy mess-hall, the white-bearded old captain, the arcane navigation equipment, and the clouds of steam and frost that hover in the air after the crewmembers exhale. Life aboard an oceangoing vessel is shown in a few bold, rich strokes: exciting and mundane, dull and surprisingly beautiful. Below the deck, the members of Shout Out Louds (they’ve taken this trip, as well) gather to sketch the skylines of the cities they’ve seen. In fact, the video itself is based on a dream of the band’s to tour the world on a ship and do shows at every port!

They’ve brought along their instruments, too. The quintet sets up in the cargo hold, and the cold grandeur of the gigantic room perfectly suits the cinematic sound of “Tonight I Have To Leave It”. Produced – as is all of Our Ill Wills – by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John, it’s a gorgeous synthesis of Scandinavian indiepop and classic Head On The Door-style alt-rock. Shout Out Louds deliver a sweeping string arrangement, rattling percussion, a dark and engrossing lyric wedded to a potent melody, and an impassioned performance by frontman Adam Olenius. Wide-eyed and urgent, Olenius sends his song up to the top of the cavernous hold, as his band fills the shadows behind him with echoing harmony.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation go out to Martin Hall and everyone at Merge Records for delivering this knock out video! They have been kind enough to set us up with copies of the “Tonight I Have To Leave It” single for all of your on-air giveaways, so drop us a line to get your hands on them! The band is in the US for dates in select markets in July and will return for a full tour in October, so get your interview requests in now! If you need more info, call Andy Gesner at 732-613-1779 or e-mail us at info@HIPVideoPromo.com . You can also visit www.MergeRecords.com, or www.ShoutOutLouds.com to find out more about Shout Out Louds.

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