Over the past 16 months, Boston rock band Oh Malô gained attention around the city for their series of three color-themed EPs (October 2014’s Blue, February’s Red, and May’s Orange), which articulated musical themes and sensations related to each hue. Now, with their debut album set for release this spring, the color is stripped away completely in a new black and white video for the record’s title track, “As We Were.”
The clip is the latest Live At Berklee session, recorded live at 1260 Boylston Street and created by 4Reel Productions.
“We love the way this came out,” Oh Malô singer/guitarist Brandon Hafetz tells Vanyaland. “It’s one of the darker songs off the record thematically and we think between the black and white, our black sweaters, and my long droopy hair (which is sadly no longer), it’s pretty spot on for what we were going for. We’ve been playing this song out for a good while and it’s exciting to finally have a version out for people to hear online.”
Hafetz also praised Berklee’s attention to detail and respect for the band’s own personal vision while crafting the feel and atmosphere of the video. “We met with them prior to the shoot to discuss all of our ideas from staging, lighting, audio, and everything in between,” he adds. “[Berklee Marketing Manager] Michael Borgida runs a great operation over there with so many top-notch videos coming out on the channel every week and we’re lucky to have gotten to be featured.”
As for the As We Were LP, Hafetz says it will feature six new songs, as well as the six previously released via the color EPs. Many of those songs will be heard live this Friday night, when Oh Malô plays O’Brien’s in Allston on a pretty stacked local bill alongside Bat House, Quarrels, and Weakened Friends. They’ll then head down I-95 for a show at Pianos in New York City on Saturday night.
Watch the Berklee video below, but don’t get too attached to the black and white. “Color is still very much a theme on the LP,” Hafetz says.
