Boombox Blitz: Kathy Zimmer dreams in color for ‘White Noise’ video
The folk-pop singer-songwriter paints with her mind’s eye.
Welcome to Boombox Blitz, an artist spotlight series showcasing overlooked singers, songwriters and musicians who are quietly taking over the world.
White noise is defined as “a type of noise that is produced by combining sounds of all different frequencies together.” When you begin to separate out those strands, as Nebrasak-born singer-songwriter Kathy Zimmer does in her aptly-titled “White Noise” music video, you can begin to see the sonic amalgam in its dazzling pieces. In her case, she dreams in rainbow-strewn lighting, dousing the sheets, her skin, the walls, pedaling through distorted, vibrant realities. Through the nearly five-minute visual, Zimmer dozes, quite restfully, and her dreams are painted delicately and erratically on the space above her.
“White noise is erasing my brain / The frequency of a sedative, it lulls away any pain and dulls the rhythm of the city / It soothes away human sounds,” she sings, sweetly depicting her fall into slumber. Zimmer’s voice is quite calming, wielding a soft magnificence and tremble. Self-proclaimed “cosmopolitan folk” music, she polishes the edges of traditional earth-wound folk with a cleaner, crisper glisten.
The song was “initially inspired by the sound of my very noisy air conditioner,” she says. The a/c unit serves as an appropriate canvas, the blustery, cool white looming inches away, and allows her mind to brush freely and confidently in reds, blues, yellows and an abundance of pastels, thus shaping images discovered from the deepest levels of her subconscious. Directed by Ben Wolf (who has worked on numerous mental health and wellness PSAs and indie documentaries), with stunning artwork by Rob Jones, the clip bends her emotions and personal truths into electrifying recreations.
“White Noise” is the title cut to her just-released new EP. Another one is expected later this year, with a vinyl-pressed edition of both coming down the pipeline.
Watch below:
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