Gunship – Tech Noir
Gunship – Tech Noir (2015)
Directed by: Lee Hardcastle
GUNSHIP is a neon soaked, late night, sonic getaway drive, dripping with luscious analogue synthesizers, cinematic vocals and cyberpunk values, exploding from the front cover of a dusty plastic VHS case which has lain forgotten since 1984. Created by Dan Haigh, Alex Westaway and Alex Gingell, GUNSHIP is an evolution of the of the recently popularised synthwave genre, which was originally started by Rosso Corsa records & The Valerie Collective artists. The band’s new album is now available via Horsie in the Hedge (order HERE)
Today GUNSHIP have dusted off the VHS to prepare for battle in their monumental new video for their latest single ‘Tech Noir’. The video is a classic ‘Save the Girl’ sci-fi action/adventure story which champions the nature of synthwaves retro and dystopian imagery in a never before seen way.
‘Tech Noir’ is built in gory and exhilarating Claymation (the animation of clay figurines in stop motion to create a short film), which was created by the estimable award-winning Claymation animator and director Lee Hardcastle, whose recent animations have seen his YouTube views soar in to the millions. The video stays true to GUNSHIPs aesthetics and is filled with numerous throwbacks to 80’s cinema including Claymation reimagining’s of hero’s such asRobocop, Rocky and The Terminator doing battle with the likes ofHellraiser, Alien, Michael Myers and more.
On the new video John Carpenter says, “Absolutely great video. Claymation 80’s. Coolness.” And when discussing his involvement with the new single and why he chose to collaborate with GUNSHIP, John Carpenter said he did it because the band were “nice and cool.” and that Gunships ‘Tech Noir’ is “One of my favorite songs of the year. Gunship rules.” He also went on to say “It would be fun to collaborate with Gunship.” on a larger scale; filling fans with hope for future releases.
There is also an interview with John Carpenter on the subject of his involvement with GUNSHIP and the synthwave scene, which can be read in full below.
To date GUNSHIP have released three other videos for the singles; ‘Fly For Your Life’ (watch HERE) which featured animations from the revered ‘Paths of Hate’; ‘The Mountain’, which was the world’s first ever video created in the official Rockstar GTA PC video editor by 8- BIT BASTARD (watch HERE); and ‘Revel In Your time’ (watch HERE), which features a super retro cinematic adventure told in a 16-bit dystopian pixel art world. The latter two of the three videos are littered with homages to classic 1980s movies such as Blade Runner, The Terminator, Tron and The Warriors as well as numerous retro gaming classics such as Monkey Island and Full Throttle. All of GUNSHIPsvideos so far have been assembled using incredibly contemporary storytelling technology, and sees them visualise synthwave aesthetics in a completely new way.
Ahead of album release GUNSHIP also enlisted the skills of BLOOD+CHROME who spliced together a number of critical scenes from 80’s cinema as visual aids to the mood and energy of each track on the album. The result can be seen HERE.
The videos have brought the band praise from the likes of IGN, Nerdist, Bloody Disgusting, Games Radar, Rockstar, Kotaku, FACT Mag, Digital Spy, Shortlist, Zoo, Kerrang, Big Cheese, Evening Standard, Electronic Sound VICE and many more.
GUNSHIP is more of a story than a soundtrack, written large across an eighties action cinema screen, where the narrative interweaves romance, hope, fear, technology, the threat of nuclear obliteration, and ultimately the need to celebrate life. Both bleak and dystopian at times but also progressive, uplifting and danceable.
GUNSHIP’s sound is created with vintage analogue synthesizers and other retro electronic gear available in the 1980s. The music is driven by retro gear, inspired by nostalgia for a bygone era but they use this approach to yield something fresh and new. The debut album is sonically diverse – blending sweeping fluorescent synth lines with fever pitched and adrenalizing electric bass arpeggios. This musical foundation, sometimes dark and brooding, sometimes romantic, underpins emotive and cinematic vocals.
The new album also features guest vocals by Lou Hayter (New Young Pony Club), Martin Grech, and Stella Le Page. Upcoming remixes include Miami Nights 1984, Make Up And Vanity Set, April Towers and Carpenter Brut.
