mxdwn PREMIERE: IIVII Releases New Video For “Black Galaxy”

IIVII, a project by Josh Graham, is premiering a new music video for the track “Black Galaxy” exclusively at mxdwn. Keep reading for details and a look at the video.

Graham is described on his official website as a creative director, musician and artist. He is involved in a number of projects aside from IIVII: he is one of the original members of Red Sparowes and of Battle Of Mice; he also plays in A Storm of Light. His other relations to the music industry involve formerly doing live visuals for acts like Neurosis and currently being the creative director for grunge and alt-rock staple Soundgarden.

IIVII is being called Graham’s “intergalactic space project” because of the ambient style of the music, and the visuals in “Black Galaxy” match this theme. While you’re listening to droning noises and rhythmic beats overlaid, you also see an astronaut suspended in space. He appears to be going through a black hole or portal of some sort, and at times might be going warp speed. Though much of the video is dark, the use of color is striking, especially in terms of the shades of red that show up less than 90 seconds into the video. The last minute of the visual stands out both thematically and visually. One reason the audio and video seem to match up so well could be that both of them feel simultaneously fast and slow. Watch the full five-minute clip below to experience “Black Galaxy.”

“Black Galaxy” is a track from IIVII’s full-length debut, Colony, which was released on September 4, 2015. About the album and the overall IIVII project, Graham says, “If I can even approach the territory of personal heroes like Brian Eno, Arvo Part, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Hair and Skin Trading Company, then I can float happily away into space,” adding to the outer space theme of the idea. When playing Colony material live, Graham will be joined by frequent A Storm of Light collaborator Will Lindsay. Live shows will feature guitar, analogue and digital keyboards, cassette loops and more instrumental and production tools.