TrunkSpace Exclusive Premiere
Taylor Ashton’s Skeletons by the Sea
We fell in love with Taylor Ashton’s The Romantic earlier this year and we’re as happy as a seagull at the beach to premiere his latest video for the single, “Skeletons by the Sea.” Pull up a towel, slap on some sunscreen, and let’s discover how the track and video came about from the man himself!
“‘Skeletons by the Sea’ came to me on the beach one day in Brooklyn. I love what the beach does to people. I think you can’t help but become a little childlike, maybe because the ocean is way too big for your mind to understand. I was zoning out and gazing in awe at the beauty of all the different colors and shapes and sizes of bodies laying on the sand. Suddenly it occurred to me that every single person has a skeleton, and that simple realization felt profound. This song is a reverent, unconditional love letter to all bodies. My own, and everyone else’s. We all deserve to hear that our bodies are miraculous and worthy of love and protection, especially in an often jarring, isolated era.
The song was finished after the onset of the pandemic, so Alec (production/flute), Louis (drums/bass), and Akie (piano) sent in their parts and I recorded my vocals and Rachael’s backgrounds at home.
For the video, I shot a little bit of new footage, and I also used a few slow-mo shots I’ve taken over the years not knowing what I’d use them for, but about 80% of the clips were kindly sent to me by friends or fans who responded to a cryptic Instagram story I posted.
My wife and I live in Brooklyn, but for the moment we’re back in Canada where I’m from, and this entire video was conceived and produced during our 14-day self isolation period when we entered the country. To make a green screen, I hung up a lime green tent I found in the closet of the place we’re renting, and quarantine led me to discovering some other homespun ways to approximate some other old movie tricks, including the analog process of shooting old movie title cards. I animated the lyrics by moving them around with my hands or by filming them through some water in the bottom of a clear dish to create a rippling effect. I also enjoyed slipping in a few sneaky movie references…”
Check out the video below and buy the single here!