Lawrence Rothman – “California Paranoia” (Feat. Angel Olsen) Video
Last week, relatively unknown entity Lawrence Rothman announced the details behind his next album, which he worked on with Justin Raisen (Sky Ferreira’s Night Time, My Time and Charli XCX’s True Romance). It features an all-star lineup of guest vocalists, including Kim Gordon, Ariel Pink, Charli, and Angel Olsen. He also shared his collaboration with Olsen, called “California Paranoia,” a haunting little ballad that would probably end up fading into the background were it not for what he followed it up with: an elaborate, beautifully composed music video.
The clip was directed by the esteemed Floria Sigismondi, best known for a long list of equally striking music videos and for helming the 2010 biopic The Runaways. It’s set in an Old Hollywood mental institution and is filled with a large cast of vividly-imagined characters, including Rothman himself who plays one of his “alters,” in this case an albino man named Nantucket. The video’s a textbook example of style over substance, but when the style is this great, it’s pretty hard to deny. Make sure to watch it below.
Rothman’s album is expected out next year.