Video of the Day Meager Benefits
Lyon based French coldwave/post-punk one-man act, formerly known as My Best Fiend, Meager Benefits stars Theo Parlier in a video portrayal of the first track “No Regrets” off of the brand new third album “Crawling” released on June 13, 2019, via Toulouse independent label Solange endormie.
A heady and imaginative blend of 80s UK goth-infused icy post-punk with a distinctive, subtle lo-fi, twisted and minimalistic touch, combined with harrowing lyrics and a wonderfully crafted DIY gothic suspense-filled visuals that immerse you in the indistinguishable soundscape and plot enthralling all the senses.
A familiar yet a tad more hypnotic and dizzying combination of rapid drum machine loops, deeply distorted bass reverberations, and alluring rolling echo-hollow clash Daniel Ashe-sque ‘haunting’ guitar riffs over deep obsessed, rapidly spoken vocals dripping distortion, heavy reverb-laden clap echoes, and electrically charged strikes to shatter the thick, murky nightmarish atmospherics reflected in the macabre verses of song.
Deeply disturbing words romantically spoken in French by Théo Parlier tell of a lost soul whose responsibility-free lifestyle keeps him out all night “having a good time,” leaving him no time to think. A tragedy brimming with repressed emotions hidden in the dark recesses of the mind lurks behind madness elicited through the lips of an erroneous smile echoing the words “no regrets.”
A cryptic black and white depict a man speaking emotionless into a mirror reflecting the terra cotta face of a child set against the backdrop of a man wildly playing “the guitar” who pauses to give a reverent bow before swinging the instrument like a Samurai sword into a dance of death. Swirling lights cast shadows of doubt upon the setting of shame creating a rising tension and anxiety counterbalanced by a sheer veil that hangs peacefully in front of the mysteriously dexterous player whose delicate hands and stiff hard body form contrasting opponents in an epic struggle from within.
Darkly suggestive and fast-paced video veiled by a mysterious tragedy bringing the sinister sound and the alienating lyrics to a disruptive harmony of inactive violence.
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