You can’t really pin Raven Matthews down. Whether you’re seeing him live or listening to his recordings—as an artist, he thrives on the brink; an unpredictability that keeps the listener on their toes. One minute, he might be languidly singing along to an acoustic ballad, another, rapping over Spongebob Squarepants samples about his insecurities, and the next moment, howling slurred lines into the void, begging you to tell him he’s beautiful. That latter posture is where we find him today with the premiere of his new music video for “SighCo Path,” a standout track from his most recent album Disco Christ.
The track, a collaboration between Matthews and fellow 69/50 collective member Wolftone (who produced and provides guest vocals) is a wild, gutteral confessional. Over bellowing bass synth and cavernous, echoing drums, Matthews lets his id completely run the show. “People don’t know what I do!” he raps in an auto-tuned slurry, “Tell me you like what I say! Tell me I’m famous! FAME! FAME!” The unchained track’s visuals do an excellent job of translating the mania of the music. A loose, creatively associative edit from director Malleable Existence turns what’s essentially a video-taped photo shoot into a kaleidoscopic, melting psychosis, complete with subliminal messaging (including a brief Seattle Weekly appearance). It’s a brilliantly debased flip of the classic, “artists voguing for the camera” music video format, and further proof that Matthew’s trademark creative madness is a potent fountain for some dizzyingly engaging work.