For Hamburg, Germany’s Ivy Flindt, Los Angeles proved to be both a destination and a state of mind. Produced by Grammy winner Danton Supple (Coldplay, Nick Cave), “Welcome To L.A.” is cinema-vérité-style art pop with an uneasy undercurrent that matches its subject matter: a city that’s simultaneously exhilarating and unnerving, seductive and relentless.
“Life often feels incredibly intense to me,” says Ivy Flindt vocalist Cate Martin. “When that intensity reaches a certain point, a song almost seems to write itself. That’s exactly how I feel about the video we created for ‘Welcome To L.A.’ We shot most of it during our two trips to Los Angeles, where we were showcasing our music. The city felt extreme in every possible way. It was a thrill that put me to the test.”
Those first impressions also sparked the song itself. “The first morning in Los Angeles, I woke up with this melody in my head,” Martin says. “We had a rough start to the city, introducing us straightaway to the struggle that seems to come with chasing your dreams. I could feel it in every corner of the city. I could see it in everyone’s eye.”
Ivy Flindt’s Micha Holland sought to match that emotional tension. “I wanted to create a sound that feels both classic and modern at once,” he says. “I played every instrument on the recording, shaping an atmosphere where every musical detail supports the emotional tension in Cate’s story.”
“We also included footage I did years earlier,” says Martin of the video. “Right after graduating, a friend and I traveled to Los Angeles, and I instantly felt drawn to the city. I started filming whatever caught my eye, never imagining that those shots of the carousel at the fair would come to symbolize everything I was still about to experience.”
We’re proud to premiere Ivy Flindt’s “Welcome To L.A” video. Look for the duo’s new EP, Sphinx (Marland), on November 13.
—Hobart Rowland
