WATCH: Lowertown Finds Balance In Toxic Friendships With “Best Person You Know”
WATCH: Lowertown Finds Balance In Toxic Friendships With “Best Person You Know”
The track is a heartfelt exploration into setting boundaries and conflicting emotions
Words by: Jason Russo
Up-and-coming indie group Lowertown are back with a catchy new single titled, “Best Person You Know.” The track ruminates on the dangers of living without direction and how important it is to find a purpose in life. Many of the fears in the song are concerned with the hardest parts of growing up like developing morals and personal beliefs. The band seems frustrated by the subject’s lack of purpose and direction, and they question: “Do you believe in God or anything at all?/Are there morals that you stand by or have your standards started to fall?”
The title of the song is ironic because clearly the subject is not the best person they know, but the band cleverly uses this irony to highlight exactly how they feel about this type of person. When asked about the song’s structure, Lowertown said, “The song was written as a reflection of the emotions one experiences while maintaining a friendship with a toxic person; it represents the conflicting emotions and how quickly things change.”
The video for “Best Person You Know” is filmed home-video style and was recorded on real, super eight film. Directed by Michael Cully, it features Lowertown’s Olivia Osby repeatedly murdering her bandmate Avsha Weinberg in various ways, from strangulation to beheading and even poisoning. The video starts with a serene picnic, with the softness of the track providing the illusion that this all just a happy little scene. Just a few seconds in, this idea vanishes as Weinberg starts foaming at the mouth and collapses, while Osby gleefully stands over his dead body. The rest of the murders are carried out in a similar fashion with clever uses of makeup and jump cuts which give it a homemade horror appeal that fans of the film Super 8 and the show Stranger Things will love. It’s a great juxtaposition to the vibes of the song, and the video remains campy and entertaining while conveying honest and heartfelt emotions. The end of the video is beautifully animated yet disturbing as the track swells up and delivers its final chords while images flash on the screen before the title card is shown. It’s truly one of the most inventive and enjoyable videos released this year.
Lowertown are a band out of Atlanta who first met in their math class in high school. They record and produce all of their tracks themselves in their basement studio which gives them a fantastic home-grown sound. Their moody synths, samples, and lyrics all join together perfectly to craft their unique style. Fans of Aphex Twin, Animal Collective, and Phoebe Bridgers will love their indie sound and aesthetic. Check out their exclusive interview with Fader magazine where they talk about their experience filming the video and stay tuned for more releases from them coming soon.
