Newspoke is a band shrouded in mystery; there are no names or faces, there is only the music and visual artistry that the collective decides that they’re willing to share with the world. This cloak of anonymity must be one of the most freeing things that one can have as a songwriter. An entire solar system of possibility opens itself up to you once you’re not being forced to write from a perspective that helps to maintain an image or idea that has been projected onto you.
That freedom allows you to be whoever and whatever you want– effectively allowing you to explore every facet of creativity that comes from the parts of yourself that you would normally keep buried. As we draw nearer to the impending release of their debut album, Faces, it’s clear that Newspoke plans on taking full advantage of that. Today, we’re bringing you the music video for the album’s lead single, “Judas Tree.” The track is built around the same kind of Americana that we loved hearing from the late Porter & The Blue Bonnet Rattle Snakes and Moonsville Collective, only decidedly more wicked and with a bleak outlook on the future.
“Judas Tree” is a narrative about a man on his descent into hell; complete with bluegrass-inspired harmonica swells and vocals with just the right amount of malice and mania packed behind the blue-collar grit. There’s no sheen to them and often times they feel a little worse for wear, but that’s part of the charm that keeps pulling me back into the world that Newspoke is trying to create. The video does a stunning job of putting listeners in the front-seat for this wild ride; starting with a simple enough aerial shot that slow-dives into a hellscape of men in nightmare inducing masks that are digging viewers our very own grave so we can finish things off being buried alive.
It’s undoubtedly hellish and a living nightmare, but it’s this contrast with the Americana vibes that really makes everything feel cohesive. The song has so much personality that, at times, it even feels like a modern Space Oddity. When asked to speak about the track, we were given a single-line response that fits the vibe of the song and video all too well: “There’s a special place in hell for someone like you.” The music video for “Judas Tree” can be seen above.
Faces will be out this February. Pre-orders are available here.
