The first thing you’ll notice in the clip for Moonray’s latest single, ‘When You’re Around’, is the DeLorean, as it pulls up outside some 80s style skating rink, and singer and synthesist Barbara Higginbotham gets out, hair wildly backcombed, and a cassette tape hanging around her neck on a thick gold chain. It’s ‘Back To The Future’ meets ‘Stranger Things’ and already we love it.
The clip, from the Austin Texas group formed by Barbara and her husband, Jonray Higginbotham – is quite cinematic, with a complex storyline, and reminds us of the “extended” versions of videos we used to watch back in the days when MTV actually stood for Music Television.
‘When You’re Around’ is from Moonray’s latest EP, ‘Honeymoon’, which is characterised by songs featuring new wave beats, close harmonies, catchy choruses, and glorious 80s style synthpop.
Moonray’s music isn’t just a throwback however. Their songs have inventive compositions and arrangements, and instrumentally the synths, guitar, and percussive rhythms are out of this world brilliance. Mixing engineer, and co-producer Eric “Mixerman” Sarafin, has been fine-tuning the sound of acts as diverse as Foreigner, The Pharacyde, Brand New Heavies, and Hilary Duff, and for Moonray he’s picked up on the inspirational tone of their lyrics, and matched it with the perfect sound.
Directed by Diego Lozano, the video for ‘When You’re Around’ sees the Higginbothams cast as superheroes, supervillains, and superstars – all at the same time. There’s nods to classic 80s pop-sci-fi, as well as horror movies, and the stars are in their element playing to all the tropes of 80s cinema. There’s also a gloriously animated sequence, which has to be seen to be believed. Today Austin Texas knows Moonray – tomorrow the rest of the world will…unless they go back to the future in that DeLorean, and then who knows what’s gonna happen.
Watch the video for ‘When You’re Around’ below. Find out more about Moonray online on Twitter.
