Sydney songwriter Chris Lanzon released his debut EP Melancholy earlier this month, a collection of songs that gravitate around heartbreak and healing, self-discovery and growth.
Each of the six songs has a particularly cinematic quality, so it’s no surprise to learn the musician has been working on developing a full visual accompaniment to go along with the EP.
Today, we’re premiering part of it with the video for ‘Diamonds on the Water’, directed by Lanzon himself and filmed by collaborator Andrew Clements (Andii). The clip for ‘Diamonds on the Water’ follows on from the video for ’72 Days’, serving as part five of six in the overall Melancholy short film.
The visual sees the song’s oceanic metaphors – “There’s diamonds on the water / But you’re drowning,” sings Lanzon in the chorus – turn literal, symbolising conflicting feelings of hope and doubt. The clip opens with Lanzon standing on an empty beach shoreline before following a bright light into the water, struggling against the heavy ocean waves and eventually drowning in an attempt to retrieve it. It’s a fitting visual accompaniment, and certainly makes the track itself all the more potent.
“The last couple of years have been full of a lot of learning and growing for me,” explains Lanzon of Melancholy. “This project tells those stories. It’s sad, but comforting… honest, but hopeful. I want people to feel that they are not alone.”
Watch the video for ‘Diamonds on the Water’ below.
