Everyone goes through a different process after a breakup. Some people carry on as if nothing is wrong, dealing with their emotions internally. Some people mope for awhile, letting everything out through tears and grieving. Other people may go out and have the times of their lives, celebrating the happy times and looking forward to the future. A combination of all three aren’t unusual either. New Yorker artist Anna Shoemaker‘s latest single “Liquor Store”–released at the beginning of August–chronicles her journey through these emotions, including have to travel past her ex’s place on the way to the titular store. We now get to see that journey in the form of a music video for “Liquor Store,” which we are thrilled to premiere here on Substream today.
The music video for “Liquor Store” explores Shoemaker’s emotions and her hometown of New York in equal measure. As the song begins we see a breathtaking view of the skyline, and Shoemaker dances around the most whimsical backings found at Coney Island later in the video. The video does a wonderful job following Shoemaker’s journey, helped by Shoemaker’s natural energy and expressive acting. During the happier moments of the song, she dances around an actual liquor store or makes silly faces behind the shower curtain. However when the song reaches it’s emotional lulls, Shoemaker’s expression crumbles and we can see the hurt she’s still carrying. It’s a tough task to show off a huge range of emotions in just four brief minutes, but Shoemaker pulls it off tremendously, giving viewers an emotional, impactful experience with the video.
Asked about the inspiration and process that went into creating the music video, Shoemaker says “”I worked really closely with the director, Jasper Soloff, on this video. The whole idea we wanted to convey was a sort of liberation from heartbreak, emphasizing independence. This song is about jealousy, it’s about getting your heartbroken but ultimately it’s about the power in being able to set yourself free from that and move on. Jasper put together such a great team to create this video including Cassidy Soloff, Machel Ross, Axel Cuevas De Chaunac, Caitlin Woods, Alexandra Dorschner, and Shideh Kafei. I think the best part was meeting everyone and being able to work on this project with creative people who are just as passionate about the vision as I was.”
You can watch the video for “Liquor Store” below. With the level of artistry and thought that went into this video, we can’t wait for the next music video from Anna Shoemaker.
