Jarell Perry & Deebs Release & Discuss Their Video for "Relapse"

Following up their excellent collaborative EP, Shift, Jarell Perry and Deebs have joined forces again to put out the visual translation for the project’s second single “Relapse.” The surrealistic clip, which marks directorial debut for rising fashion photographer-turned podcast host Yoshino, begins in simple black and white, but later transforms into a glitchy piece of pixelated art in motion. The video employs a similar lo-fi effect like Kanye West’s Nabil Elderkin-directed “Welcome To Heartbreak” video, also known as “datamoshing.” “Relapse,” however, stands in his own right as it mashes it against modern dance to tell a story. Both artists have toured extensively Canada and the West Coast since the Shift‘s summer release, but found time to bring out this visual dime. Jarell and Deebs took the time to answer a few of our questions regarding their latest piece of work and also open up about new projects.

You’ve worked together on Shift earlier this year. How do you evaluate the general feedback for it?
I try not to pay too much attention to feedback, although it’s been positive. I just wanted to make something new and forward-leaning. Deebs was the perfect partner to do it. I think people will look back on this in the future and appreciate the authenticity of what we did.

How does “Relapse” as a song stand in relation to Shift?

Although it wasn’t intentional at the time I think Relapse really sums up the message behind Shift as a whole. There’s a line in the song that’s really fitting, “You can be what you want when there’s room left to grow. You can own it.” That’s what this project was personally for me.

What was the conceptual approach for the accompanying video?

It was a team effort. The director Yoshino is a good friend of mine so I told him to take it as far as he could go. I’m such a fan of his surrealistic work that it was easy to trust. After we decided on the glitchy visual approach, we were able to hone in on the narrative. A lot of care went into telling the story tastefully.

You’ve launched a new media collective Still Mind? Can you tell us a little bit about it? How does it help the emerging artists?

Still Mind is a brand inspired by my personal journey. Pursuits within the industry had taken a toll on me and I had lost myself for a while. It wasn’t until I took some time out to meditate and focus on my well-being as a person first that I could be inspired again as an artist. There is a lot of motivational self-development information out there but none that appealed to the aesthetic and perspective of me and my artist friends. So that’s what we are building now. We promote a mindful lifestyle for creatives through art, stories, and apparel at stillmind.co

How would you recap your personal 2015?

2015 was a transformational year for me. For the first time I took full responsibility for what I wanted and the risks necessary to go after it on my own. I built some lasting connections and projects like this EP and video that I’m truly proud of. I traveled the world and was inspired by so many things, especially in Japan. Now it’s just a matter of keeping it all in motion.

What are your goals for 2016?

Improve my intuition, improve my taste, and thereby improve my art. Continue to grow the presence of Still Mind. I’m really looking forward to making great songs again, releasing my next project and taking it to new parts of the world. However it’s meant to be.