Video Of The Day OCTAVIAN WINTERS
Born into the ghostly isolation of San Francisco in 2022, during the third winter of the pandemic, Octavian Winters ‘weave their visceral and ethereal sound into a texture all its own – of stories once told but half-remembered, under a dusk of shadows and stars, in an abandoned city under the winter moon.’
The four-piece band, comprising Ria Aursjoen (Vocals, Keyboards), Stephan Salit (Guitars), Randy Gzebb (Drums), and Jay Denton (Bass), has dropped a soul-stirring music video by Jay Adams for the haunting debut single “Ondine.”
Mythical poetry draws from the tragic figure of the sea nymph Ondine to evoke feelings of temptation, fear, and distrust at the hands of a wandering heart.
“Ondine” shimmers inwardly with a wide, cinematic sweep through atmospheric Darkwave tones, colored by a lush, sparkling, and intricate guitar work, along with mesmerizing ethereal vocal incantations.
Ambient waves crash along disintegrating outflows from both piercing and distorted, high-pitched echoing guitar weeps, slow steady drum beats, and warm murmuring bass lines, to carry a fragile emotional depth of pained vocals through lovelorn harmonies and celestial cries, rising and falling into churning crepuscular tides of longing and despair.
Supernatural visuals by Jay Adams blend a magnificent contouring of lights and shadows, earthen elements, and esoteric symbols into a seaside ceremony, syncing seamlessly with the mystical atmospheric vibes of the soundtrack. A curious and thought-provoking set and costume design by Ria Aursjoen cast ancient runes, secret sigils, and ominous candlelight around a powerful female archetype, whose obsessive search for love conjures the dark side, with still no amour in sight.
Keep up with Octavian Winters: