The Los Angeles-based post-punk band Agender recently released the new music video for their track “Action Reaction.” The song is off the band's third album, "Berserk," which is currently available.
Action Reaction offers a raw, introspective dive into the dichotomies of the human experience. The black & white video was shot on a cold winter morning at Hermosa Beach, CA, and uses the ocean as a metaphor for a vast, uncontrollable abyss that's tied to the sensation of drowning in one’s own emotions.
Singer Romy Hoffman co-directed the project with bandmate/synth player Sara Rivas, who recalls originally wanting to shoot the project at El Matador Beach, with its cool caves. Unfortunately, due to the wildfires, they were unable to use that location.
"Hermosa Beach was a great alternative," she notes, "offering a personal and cinematic open space."
The video was shot on an Apple iPhone 11, coinciding with the artists' DIY spirit.
"As musicians, we’re not just making music," Rivas explains. "We’re also our cinematographers, editors and social media managers. It’s all about using what we have to bring our vision to life."
The underwater elements that are intercut with Hoffman's performance on the beach were acquired through a stock footage library. And the B&W aesthetic was applied in post, which was always the intention.
"I’m a sucker for black & white," Rivas reveals. "It adds a certain cinematic quality, mood and timelessness that I love."
The shoot for Action Reaction spanned just a single day and consisted of just Rivas and Hoffman. Rivas then assembled the video using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
"We had to work quickly since we were squeezing it between the fires and Romy heading to Australia," she explains. "Editing took about a week, with a lot of back-and-forth. With the time difference, coordinating was a challenge, but we made it work!"
"Action Reaction" is one of Rivas' favorite tracks off of "Berserk" and lends itself well to the cinematic and moody aesthetic that black & white imagery affords. The devastation happening in the LA area also influenced the filmmakers.
"That sense of turmoil was only amplified by the challenges we faced while making the video," Rivas recalls. "The LA fires at the time were devastating, and it was hard to find the motivation to push forward. But, in a way, that destruction and uncertainty fed into the energy of the song. We also wanted to capture Romy’s emotion in a way that wasn’t totally literal — a David Lynch-inspired vibe, where the feeling and atmosphere come first. I create most of the band’s social media posts, and Romy and I have collaborated on a lot of our videos, but this was the first one I got to edit. It was such a rewarding experience."