Music Videos

Single and Music Video: “Ghosts of Us”

“Ghosts of Us” is inspired by the eerie atmosphere of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when cities emptied out and normally bustling streets were deserted as people sheltered in place. Feelings of uneasiness and anticipation permeate the song, as a highly rhythmic undercurrent propels the music forward through shifting harmonies. Harmon-muted trumpet floats on top.

“Respire”, written by Kuhn before the pandemic and brought to full jazz-rock fruition in collaboration with her quintet, is inspired by the moments of stillness that follow challenging times, when the world seems to pause to catch its breath. The track puts Kuhn’s expansive trumpet concept front and center, opening with wide-interval melodies resting on pillowy guitar chords. As ever-evolving textures swirl on top of a patient drum rhythm, the band slowly builds towards a climax that is at once buoyant and somber.  

A classic sounding jazz waltz with gently satirical lyrics spoken by a narrator who is not entirely sure she wants to be caught in a love affair. The lilting melody and central refrain of the lyrics - “I wonder if you’ll catch me when I’m running or when I’m falling” - are echoed by the pendular motion of acrobats and parachutes swinging across the screen, interspersed with live, rustic-toned studio footage. The song, which feels like it could have been written in another era, features shimmering textures from the string quartet and nylon-string guitar, commanding vocals by Mercedes Inez Martinez, and soaring violin and trumpet solos by Lucia Thomas and Emily Kuhn.

“Roses” was initially inspired by the playful sentiment of Mary Oliver’s poem by the same title. The song is inspired by the idea that a fleeting moment, such as a flower shifting in the wind, is made exquisite by its ephemerality. It features lush string writing, a chorus of background vocals, and interweaving improvisations which builds to an exuberant Brazilian groove. Directed by Zack Sievers, the gold-toned video intersperses time-lapse footage of roses blooming and dying from 1925 and shots of a dramatic sky over Chicago in 2020 with live footage from the recording sessions.