you resource for all things shoegaze & dream pop.

24 August 2018

WTSH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Blush Reponse | Cruel.

We are extremely proud to present the exclusive world premiere of Blush Response’s brand-new video for their song “Cruel”. “Cruel” is taken from the Australian quartet’s exceptional 2018 LP, Hearts Grow Dull, released in April. Amber recently dubbed the album her favorite full-length release of 2018 thus far, so our excitement about this premiere is truly off the charts.

The video for “Cruel” foregoes the ubiquitous blurry lights and swirly colors typical of shoegaze videos and instead explores more fertile ground, focusing on themes of tragedy, unity, loneliness, and self-destruction. Directed and edited by Alister Douglas and filmed by Thomas Smeets, the video follows the main character into three different scenarios in which he is alone and seemingly invisible to those around him. When the other characters are unwillingly pulled into the chaos that inevitably befalls him in each scene, his tragedies have an unexpected effect on them. It's a uniquely wild ride -- humorous and utterly dark at the same time. 

The narrative feels very similar to a short film and it was, in fact, originally conceived as such. Alister told us, “It comes from the idea that tragedy can bring people together, and I figured this was the natural and absurd conclusion to that thought – a self-destructive cupid-like character who creates tragedy but who doesn’t consider closely enough the personal cost of his actions. It started as a short film in my mind, but when I started thinking about what to do for a music video for “Cruel”, the three scenes fit really nicely into the structure of the song.” 

The video for "Cruel" can be viewed below. We are honored to share it with the world on behalf of Blush Response. 


Directed and edited by Alister Douglas
Cinematography by Thomas Smeets

Starring: Roy Phung, Jessica Burgess, Russel Lucas, Shanna Ransley, Ryn Dudley, Jessica McGaffin, Todd Gray, Joe Caporaso, Zach Caporale, Walter Marsh, Sia Duff, Alister Douglas