Premiere: Mark Ciani wanders through ‘Some Kind of Purgatory’ in new video
Ciani’s new video captures the heaviness of heartbreak.
What they don’t tell you about heartbreak is that it mimics the lingering aftereffects of death. Grief clutches your heart, strangling it in a sinewy grip. You gasp for breath and never really get it. With his new song “Some Kind of Purgatory,” singer-songwriter Mark Ciani finds himself trapped inside a suffocating hellscape. In the accompanying video, premiering today on B-Sides & Badlands, the musician heads out to Coney Island on a bitter winter day and wanders the boardwalk – a metaphor for his headspace that smothers his sense of being.
For the visual, he partnered with videographer Tyler Ward (of Diagonal Media). “With barely any people around, the beach, boardwalk, and amusement park appear as a ghost town – a place where traditional symbols of fun are juxtaposed with the emptiness,” Ciani shares. “The video gives off the feeling that the fun has died, and I’m scouring the area quizzical, confused, and unsettled. The camera is stalking me both from near and far; I’m both a source of interest and maybe a mark of prey.”
While unpacking the heaviness of the lyrics, sharp and jagged, Ciani brings humor to the story. The sweeping sands, the colorful roller coasters, and Ciani’s attire puncture the air from the room. “Oh, I’m cutting rug to the sounds of the oldies,” he barks. “While my cousin’s getting married / Her friends are laughing at me ’cause I’m drunk and out of rhythm / Another burden to carry.”
He trips over these words, offering an off-kilter mix of depression and angst. Ciani makes you feel every single knife stab to the chest, yet alleviates the pain through an authentic quirkiness. “The shots of a fake tree in the middle of a beach, a random dog trotting around the boardwalk, and the bright pink suit I’m wearing lend some levity,” he says. “And the quick shots match the volatile mood of the song. The video isn’t a shot-for-shot literal match of the song, but I think it captures a similar tone and vibe.”
“Some Kind of Purgatory” anchors Ciani’s The Catacombs project.
Check out the “Some Kind of Purgatory” video below.
