Live Review: Montgomery 'Pinata' (Official Video)

Queenslander MONTGOMERY quickly garnered buzz after being signed to I OH YOU earlier this year. Her honeyed, lilting voice and pared back, melancholy pop choruses are a study in juxtaposition, with her EP set explore damaging and damaged interpersonal relationships and the frameworks on which they’re built.

This was particularly evident in her debut single for I OH YOU, ‘Piñata’ – a pensive, synth-y, intricately melodic song with a gently bubbling undercurrent. The video for the track is a black and white slow-burner directed by Melbourne collective Tooth & Claw; a neat, candied conglomeration of everyday moments in the lives of people whose relationships are crumbling around them.

The tension in the video doesn’t stem from anything explicit – there’s no moments of overt danger or threat shown – but there is something sinister about how relatable the various situations and people depicted are in short, neat snatches.

The clever use of text throughout the video is a nice touch, providing the video’s main sense of narrative. These small hints, emblazoned across everything from towels to backpacks, provide something resembling direction to a video that’s otherwise an artful tease. Ultimately, however, the lack of neatly assembled arc is kind of the point: when it comes to the sort of heartache Montgomery’s lyrics describe, there’s no beginning, middle or end. 

Montgomery’s debut EP, ‘New Clear War’, is out now and available for purchase on iTunes.  

Words by Cheryl Billman. 

WATCH MORE VIDEOS HERE

SEE ALSO:

MONTGOMERY ‘WAR CRY’

MONTGOMERY ‘PIÑATA’

SOUNDCLOUD WRAP: I OH YOU DJS