Animated Music Video ‘Grief’ Explores Alienation, Detachment and Solitude

Denisha Anderson has teamed up with illustrator animator Louise Saunders for her debut animation to accompany the release of the latest single from South London artists Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin – ‘Grief’ feat. Lex Amor; out now on Aquarii Records.

'Grief' draws on the talents of their close friend Lex Amor who Maxwell had worked with on her debut record Government Tropicana. It carries an aura of alienation, detachment and solitude which evokes the spirit of Burial's seminal dubstep record Untrue. Maxwell brought the beat to life while he was confined to his room with Covid, coming to terms with the loss of his grandmother. His only refuge was diving down rabbit holes of angst-driven drill beats.

He shares: "It was quite icy and reflective of that dark time. But then when Joe heard it, he added this beautiful melodic element with an improvised piano part. It brought a lot of light into it."

The choice to collaborate with Lex Amor is another form of subversion: her delivery is soft, fluid and poetic - at odds with the bravado of the drill and grime rappers who inspired the beat. It's an admission of vulnerability which taps into a different kind of strength.

Joe says: "I honestly think Lex's verse on this is one of my favourite verses of all time. She absolutely bodied it. It grows on me more and more with every listen."

The beautiful visuals take the viewer on a soulful ride through space and is a self-proclaimed love letter to the millennial generation which totally embodies the dreamscape lyrics and flow of this stunning downtempo track.