Premiere: “June” by Banfi
Bright, catchy guitar pop in a rounded-corner 1.33:1 aspect ratio
“You need to breathe, honey,” Joe Banfi, frontman of London three-piece band Banfi, urges in their latest music video. A flaming rose and scenes of a dancing heroine splice up moments of straightforward band performance visuals—all of which end up saturated in singular moments of red, green and blue light. Filmed in the round and in a nostalgic, rounded-corner 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the video underscores the track’s poppy brightness and flirtation with psychedelia and guitar rock sensibilities. The Police-like vocals skip across precise, punctuated guitar work like stones in a pond of pop hooks. Aaron Graham and Chris McCuaig round out the band roster and their last two years on the road, winning over audiences show by show, is evident in an overall energized sharpness. It’s enough force to warrant Banfi’s messaging asking us all, really, to breathe.
“It was funny to be part of because we got to dance around and play instruments all day but I think some of the crew got pretty rough!” Banfi explains to us. “Because of how it was filmed, Gus [the grip] had to push the camera around on this little circular track for about 10 hours straight—Jake and Nick [the director and cinematographer] had to sit with the camera the entire time to get the shots right, and I think anyone would feel pretty terrible after going around and around and around in such a small circle for that long. But they were all amazing and made the right video for us and we’re thrilled with it.”
Banfi is currently on their debut UK headlining tour, now through 19 September.
“June” will appear on their debut album, out early next year.
Images courtesy of Banfi
