Our emotions come in degrees. The amusement from a joke on Twitter isn’t as strong as the laughs produced from a friend’s funny story. The sadness when we’re out of ice cream is a lesser degree of the sadness we feel from missing out on a job (well, maybe). And there are times where an emotion is so powerful it overrides everything. It feels like the entire world has stopped and all of the feeling in the universe has centered itself in you. North Carolina-based band Stray Local, headed by real life couple Hannah Lomas and Jamie Rowen, have felt that feeling. They’ve conjured the magic of the experience into their new track and video “Earthquake Love,” premiering right here.
Stray Local incorporate electric guitars and some rock-like vibes into their folk sound, and it fits “Earthquake Love” perfectly. Lomas sings the verses against a lighter collection of strings from the mandolin and banjo, with a perfectly placed distorted guitar riff adding flavor. The chorus brings all of these elements together in a crescendo that mirrors the power of the love they feel. The lyrics are suitably grandiose, vivid imagery of glass shattering and nature roaring to express the infinite nature of this love. Just like the real thing, “Earthquake Love” carries an immensity of emotion that lands just right.
The music video for “Earthquake Love” uses dance as another way to express this idea. Performers Ashley and Cedric Kopa are married, and their familiarity with one another comes through perfectly. Their choreography is deliberate and intense, and the intimacy they bring to the video does a marvelous job of tying the entire project together.
“Earthquake Love” has been in the making for quite a long time now. Stray Local explain:
“We have been visualizing a modern love story told through contemporary dance for a number of years now. Upon being introduced to the talented husband-and-wife team of Ashley and Cedric Kopa and experiencing their soulful choreography, all of the pieces started to come together to execute our debut music video for ‘Earthquake Love.’ Facelifting the warehouse by fulling it with fog and quasar lighting, our videographer, Michael Austin Daniel, created the perfect ambiance. Each piece helped form ‘Earthquake Love’ to become the artistic blend of modern dance and music we were dreaming of.”
Prepare to have the power of love come right at you and watch the video for “Earthquake Love” now.