Watch the music video now, exclusively on MILKY!
Image: Supplied.
Brooklyn-based musician and creator Dräger is gearing up to release his electric new single, The Villain You Need. If you're a Dräger fan like us, you can catch the music video for his new song, premiering right here on MILKY!
Creating his own unique 'synthedelic-pop' soundscape, Dräger explores the idea that sometimes you need to take on the role of the villain, to ultimately do the right thing, commenting on the hero superiority complex. Tackling stereotypes and misrepresentation of intentions, the track continues the musicians exploration of synth-based pop, with threads of late 70s punk weaved throughout the songs sonics. With the sound also harking back to the glorious early days of The Killers, there's a somewhat nostalgic old school neon glitz feel to it.
Written, directed and edited by the musician himself, the cinematic visual takes on a short film format, inspired by films such as Blow and Pulp Fiction. Taking place within a 70's inspired realm, the clip sees the musician orchestrating a heist whilst an epic love story plays out. The highly considered and stylised visuals narrative is at moments unclear, jumping from a suspenseful opening scene, to visions in a club before a funky dance break from Dräger and one of his co-stars. The lucid narrative further adds to the avant-garde nature of the film, before leaving us on a cliffhanger with hopes the story will continue. Visually enthralling and exhilarating, full of mystery with moments of glamour, Dräger has delivered his magnum opus, creating a visual that will leave you wanting more.
Speaking of the visual, Dräger shares with MILKY exclusively: “I think a lot of music videos are painfully trite, and though I’m no expert I wanted to go big or not waste my time. I broke the cardinal rule of doing a confusing narrative for just a 4 min video. But I just wanted something sexy, something violent, with style and to tell a story instead of that typical song n dance in singing to the camera. I really had no idea what I was doing, it was like a punk band writing music for the first time in a sweaty studio with no air ventilation. It was me just hitting the ground running with a vision and trying to learn how to execute it all along the way. Many said it was going to be too hard to pull off and that it’d cost 20k but I just blissfully and ignorantly kept coming up with ideas. The nativity of exploring a new art form was like losing your virginity, secretively scared, excited, daunting even, but you just hope that it all lasts and makes an impact for the audience and everyone involved. All innuendos intended. The video concept started in the songwriting process. I was writing out a treatment before I even had a chorus because I just kept getting a strong visceral emotion from the bass line that inspired a picture in my mind. Often times it’s just like a flash of a moment or something and I try to write the song maintaining that emotion and that vision in my head. For “The Villain You Need” that bass groove was all I needed to hear for everything to come to life. That part alone made me think of a guy going to do a big coke deal in the 70s quite honestly. Walking in slow motion and dressed to the nines like out of the movie BLOW. There was just this kind of villainous vibe, a cool vibe that I wanted to preserve. I wrote the treatment in the back of an uber on my phone getting sick, and then my girlfriend and I story boarded it out on our bedroom floor that night. I hope to make a sequel someday to this story and maybe I’m just getting started making more ‘music films’.”
The musical project of Spencer Draeger, Dräger traverses anxiety and melancholia, part satirical, part sarcastic but overall playful. The musician shines a light on themes of technology, love and society at the precipice of a new world. Working from his home studio in Brooklyn, Dräger maintains creative control over his art, writing, producing, recording and mixing all of his own music. With a full-length body of work due out this year, Dräger is setting out to talk about the hardships of the modern world, creating a soundtrack for life, the dance floor and everything in between.
Watch the music video for The Villain You Need below!