Thomas Azier new single ‘Hold On Tight’ and the accompanying short film directed by Ayoto Ataraxia,
MULTI-FACETED ARTIST THOMAS AZIER
RELEASES TENDER NEW SINGLE
AND SHORT FILM FOR ‘HOLD ON TI
FOLLOW THOMAS AZIER
Today 15th May, Dutch multi-faceted artist Thomas Azier teases more new music and visuals with ‘Hold On Tight’, the final taste of his upcoming album ‘Love, Disorderly’, set for release on 12th June.
While earlier singles ‘Love, Disorderly’ and ‘Entertainment’ and their respective short films, embody the sense of socio-political urgency, freeform expression and unflinching experimentation permeating the album, ‘Hold On Tight’ shows a more tender side. Reaching a dramatic high early on with its brooding synth chords and metronomic string stabs, while Thomas builds his rich tenor to an emotional crescendo.
The single’s emotional pull is heightened by the accompanying short film directed by artist Ayoto Ataraxia.
Intuitively shot on 16mm with a small crew, it reflects in its stark glimpses of spectacularly mundane humanity it’s the result of a conversation between the director and Thomas and their exchange on movies including slow cinema master Tsai Ming Liang’s Tapei Trilogy ‘The River’ and ‘Rebels Of The Neon God’, which explore youthful anomie, unspoken longings and familial dysfunction in ‘90s Taiwan.
Ayato explains how the film “observes the people of Myanmar on their daily commute as dawn breaks. The friendship between me and Thomas sparked a desire to create a series of motorbike memories. Freedom within chaos, acceptance of danger, riding towards a new day.”
Born in Taiwan, Ayoto Ataraxia is an artist currently living between Berlin and New York. He has embarked on an artistic journey that has become increasingly personal. Always curious, Ayoto studied architecture, design and photography, but his interest naturally shifted towards writing and cinema.
After the release of his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Hylas’ in 2014, Thomas has constantly experimented with different musical directions, his restless creativity only enhanced by his capability of taking inspiration from the places he lived including Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.
Last year’s ‘Raven on the First Floor’, an EP that revealed an unheard darkness and chaos in his music, was acclaimed by key music tastemakers including Clash and The Line of Best Fit. While previous albums ‘Hylas’, ‘Rouge’ and ‘Stray’ were strokes of paint on a much larger painting, with ‘Hold On Tight’, Azier finds novel ways to surprise, which are reflected in the short film’s stark glimpses of spectacularly mundane humanity.
VIDEO CREDITS
Directed by Ayoto Ataraxia
Music by Thomas Azier
Filmed in Myanmar
Adam Ridgeway — Graphic Design
Ellen Treasure — Creative Direction
Hnin Wai Oo — Woman on Bike
Kyaw Thura — Production Manager
Kyaw Than Oo — Father
Mark van Bruggen — Sound Design + Mix
Matt Moro — Director of Photography
Moonji Production — Production
Nate Margolis — Assistant Director
Zaw Mai — Production Assistant