Purity Ring - stardew

What this video is

Released May 7, 2020 — deep into the COVID-19 global lockdown — 'stardew' arrived as the lead promotional video for WOMB, Purity Ring's third album and first in five years. The video's surreal, nature-immersed stop-motion imagery of otherworldly beings floating through forests resonated powerfully with a global audience in isolation, seeking fantastical escapism. The album debuted #1 on Billboard Electronic Albums…

Why it matters

A defining artefact of 2020s art-electronic production, 'stardew' exemplifies the mature 4AD dream-pop aesthetic: lush synth architecture, aerated vocals, and glitchy assured production married to visually ambitious short-film direction. The video advances stop-motion animation as a viable…

The director

Philadelphia-based director, animator, sculptor, and puppeteer. Born in Northern California, raised in Appalachian Pennsylvania. Known for life-size stop-motion animation shot outdoors using armatured puppets. Directed Radiohead's 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'…