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Wu-Lu 'Being Me' by Ethan + Tom

Rob Ulitski - 16th June 2021

Ethan + Tom capture the surrealism of suburbia, in their dreamlike coming of age story for Wu-Lu's Being Me. 

Following two young guys on a bike ride through a town shrouded in nighttime placidity, the video delves into a frenetic exploration of youth, coming of age and isolation. 

Shot in a gritty yet abstract style, the video perfectly matches the enigmatic stylings of Wu-Lu's otherworldly sound. 

ETHAN BARRETT (ETHAN + TOM):

We’ve always felt that [young] age is so interesting on screen - whether it be in present or past tense.

"When we first heard Being Me the vastness instantly took me back to the suburbs that I grew up in. The emptiness of them, and the way that sound seemed to reverberate endlessly through them in the evening.

Occasional sounds of cars, people: you can hear just about everything and nothing at the same time, all of the time. Proper satellite town vibe. The strange noises gargling and beeping, and the drifting tone of Miles’ voice, made it quite a fitting location for the tonality of the track.

"My dad’s also infatuated with space. He had the telescope out all the time when me and my brothers were growing up. The sky is really clear outside of London, and it can make you feel very small.

"Myself and Tom had a moment like the one Max has in the film, whilst in Dover. We were standing on the edge of the country looking out at France, watching the shipping boats come in, and the stars were so clear above us. It made total sense, but also no sense that we were literally at the edge of the country. That feeling is a really odd one, of feeling super small, and a bit unimportant. Quite a fleeting but overpowering thing we all have sometimes I think.

"Coming of age, looking back and reflecting on experiences you’ve had as a younger person, were all prominent themes we picked up on from what Miles [Wu-Lu] speaks about on the track, as well as from personal conversations with him about the music he’s currently crafting today. We’ve always felt that age is so interesting on screen - whether it be in present or past tense.

"You do things and make decisions as a kid that are so naive and filled with total inexperience, even though you feel so sure they’re the right decisions at the time. Or you don’t at all, and are simply doing it to prove something arrogantly.

"It’s a strange age. And so telling a simple story based sort of around the first time being offered a cigarette, how that feels looking back at it, perhaps with a friend that you’re not so close to anymore. The past tense lyrics Miles speaks of about ‘twins’ in the song, the feeling of time that moves on so fast but feels so still and stagnant, as it does in the suburbs all the time. All of that became things we wanted to hone in on, and we’re very thankful and proud of every talented person that joined us in expressing those things here." 

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Rob Ulitski - 16th June 2021

Tags

  • Alternative
  • Youth
  • Suburbia
  • Narrative
  • Night

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Ethan + Tom
Producer
Jack Cullis

Camera

Director of Photography
Dylan Bruce
Focus Puller
Grace Pogonoski
2nd AC
Kieran Poynter

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Frederico Belloli

Editorial

Editor
Ethan Barrett

Grading

Colourist
Connor Coolbear
Colour grade company

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Label
Rara Rok Records

Misc

Drone Operator
Barney Clarke

Rob Ulitski - 16th June 2021

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