WALLGRIN — "To Be A Creature"

"The lyrics of 'To Be A Creature' may read as a cynical take on the creation of online identity, and how we are constrained by social expectations. Maybe there's a hint of that, but mostly, I was writing from a place of endearment. I think about how my friends and I endlessly circulate these adorable videos of baby hippos, cats, dogs, birds, and other unusual animals — they're all so blissfully unaware of their own sweetness. And I often think of human beings that way, too. You're just another animal on the screen, who can enchant and connect with others in ways you may never know."

In the accompanying video, directed by Jacob Pascoe (Haley Blais, Kylie V), Wallgrin becomes a sort of archaeologist straight out of a 90s fantasy film. Uncovering artifacts in various corners of a lush woodland leads to the performance of a magical ritual — an inter-dimensional teleportation spell. As the landscape and colours shift and warp around them, Wallgrin strides purposefully towards a strange black rectangle floating in midair. Upon approaching, with barely a pause, they climb out of the letterbox frame and into the ether between screen and viewer, disappearing into the void.