Bonzie – lavalamp
Acclaimed pop visionary BONZIE shares her music video for “lavalamp” off her latest album When I Found The Trap Door. Shot in Tokyo, it follows BONZIE in a journey through the city’s complex minutia accompanied by her photographer, accomplished Japanese photographer Motohiko Hasui, on film.
With “lavalamp,” BONZIE leans into a warm, conversational delivery, letting her vocals drift gently atop swelling keys and soft-hued acoustic tones. The resulting track is slight and intimate, but BONZIE uses that minimalism to her advantage, highlighting the warm production and homespun melodicism while never underplaying the innate catchiness of her songwriting. She steeps her vocals in wistful sighs and winding melodies, letting the song build before pulling back at its apex, all as her lyrics explore lingering uncertainties and questions of meaning: “I played around with pieces of all these shattered scenes / If I could touch the things that I was not able to see / Well, maybe there’s a pattern / A commonality / Of all these planes, well, I don’t know where I would rather be / Why is it so hard to find / Find anything inside?”
The accompanying video matches the track’s sun-dappled energy, following BONZIE on a winding tour of Tokyo, beautifully shot on film by photographer Motohiko Hasui. BONZIE says, ‘Motohiko and I wanted to keep a natural, real Tokyo feel— we didn’t artificially color the footage. This is what Motohiko describes as ‘Japanese color vs. American color’, akin to the visual aesthetic of 80’s and 90’s Japanese films.
I’ve been studying Japanese for 15 years, so it was wonderful to be able to show my love and respect for the city.
The man at the end of the video was a shop owner in a small neighborhood we happened to stumble on. He told me he’s been running his fruit and vegetable shop for over 40 years. The name of the shop was ‘Ohashi Shoten’… literally ‘Ohashi’s Shop’, his name. There was a restaurant next door called ‘Restaurant Next To Ohashi Shoten’. I think he’s somewhat of a neighborhood celebrity.’”
#bonzie