As a bunch of old friends cling on through the final hours of a houseparty, Murkage Dave makes a timely appearance in Ricky Gibb';s perceptive and wonderfully performed video for Us Lot.

This has been framed by Gibb as a comedy drama with dialogue leading into the track, featuring the interaction between five twenty-something friends, who have become less close through the passage of time, then finding a moment to come together again with the mysterious help of Murkage Dave. 

And this really does feel like a party in the final stages after its been going for several hours, with the characters in various states of mind, from the guy enthusing about crypto, to the blissed-out raver, to the individual sweating on the sofa riding out a bad trip - and seeing Murkage Dave materialise once the track goes on the speakers.

Gibb reveals that the video came from a lot of brainstorming between himself and Dave - pretty much since they first worked together two years ago, on the video for Miles from Kinshasa's Motions. "It's the second time Dave and I have worked together on a music video: although based on the endless conversations and concepts we’ve bounced off of one another over the past two years it feels as though we've created a hundred projects together," he says.

"For me, the lyrical content is always the first jumping-off point when developing the idea, and Dave’s words are an absolute joy to respond to creatively. "He paints such vulnerable, personable, and relatable images; something I seek to do within my own work too.

"In my own life, it has felt harder and harder to see friends and maintain connections. This is something that weighs on me heavily. Studying the sentiments expressed in Us Lot really reminded me that some bonds will always remain, despite how infrequently we may get to see one another.

"This felt like quite an unusual one to approach from a logistical recording perspective on the day; the idea that each of them was inextricably entwined, although seemingly severed in the space. With the strength of an incredibly talented cast - Victoria Nwaesei as Dom, Will Stevens as Earl, Alex Flick as Oscar, Rosie Goddard as Maisey, Derrick Methu as Bigz - and crew (including Joshua Fry as DOP, Tomasso Colleli on Steadicam), we were able to run the entire video through start to finish akin to a theatre show, and really allow the cast to explore their characters and the space equally in front of us.”

He has done a great job with this, his first video since signing to KODE. An auspicious beginning which bodes very well for the future.