16mm

VIDEO PREMIERE

The Onlys - Flyying Kite

By Andy Andrade 

The Onlys’ new music video for “Flyying Kite,” produced by Kayhl Cooper and premiering on ThrdCoast, offers a glimpse into the melancholic thoughts of lead singer Max Solomon. The band is introduced in a four panel split screen, all of them stuck in a shared affliction of terminal waiting, before cutting to broodingly pastoral Vermont. The feel of the video is spot on, its use of 16mm film mixing perfectly with the melancholy, psychedelic texture of the song.

Solomon captures his music through a TASCAM Portastudio tape recorder, which, like all cassette tape, dilutes and degrades with each rewind. This beautifully matches the song’s themes, as he tries to get back lost time by having his friends listen in on his faded relationship. This coordinated dance of remembering what’s forgotten doesn’t bother Solomon. He’s guided by something greater than himself, a cosmic force driving him to never give up on his friends. “Even kites that fly / High above the trees / No matter what you see / They’re still tied to a leash / They’ll never let that go / I’ll never let them go.” At the end, Solomon is left alone, hoping for a chance to try again.

To hold onto who and what we know can feel like all we are. Time shared with others lives forever in our memory, a little bit different each time revisited, like a tape deck. But even when we’re back together, it’s different than what we remember. And when we can’t stop change, sometimes we wait. Why do we wait for something that isn’t coming?