Alice Fassi brings a delightful comedic sensibility - both absurd and touching - to Joy Crooke’s latest, a song that dares to tackle a thorny subject: the effect of feminine beauty on other women.The subject of the song and video is the beautiful, apparently vacuous Carmen - spied upon by an awestruck Joy, disguised as a bush. Carmen (played by Amelia Swaby) is literally heading for a fall. She’s even looking gorgeous in mid-plummet - but then comes her surprising, brilliantly delivered fate: the mannequin-like Carmen shatters into pieces.The Italian director’s cartoonish approach is a real departure from previous Joy Crookes videos but entirely welcome, primarily as the wacky invention also shares the warmth of the song. She also makes the most of Joy as a performer in the second half of the video, when friendship blossoms with Swaby - by this point playing Carmen’s disembodied head in a box."When I listened to the track, I felt I knew this 'Carmen'," says Alice Fassi. "Carmen actually is the girl we’ve all known at some point: effortlessly perfect, admired to the point of obsession, and quietly envied for having everything we ever wanted – all without lifting a finger."Sometimes it takes almost nothing: a casual comparison, a sprinkle of envy dressed up as admiration, and suddenly we’re bowing down to someone who only exists in our head. Not the real person, of course, but a high-gloss, limited-edition fantasy — prettier, cooler, simply better. And from there, it’s a slippery slope straight into obsession. "For our music video, the scene of Carmen falling down the stairs is the perfect embodiment of this feeling. Even in her most dramatic downfall, she manages to be… perfect. And though she shatters into a thousand pieces, her influence doesn’t – it simply shifts. In this case, it takes hold of Joy, the singer of the song."With this video, I wanted to explore that familiar feeling of never quite measuring up, of getting lost in the ridiculous race to become someone else entirely, until envy pushes us into surreal territory. My goal was to capture that intimate emotion with a sense of playfulness, wit, and irony, because beneath the absurdity lies something painfully real. It’s a cheeky dive into the beauty standards we’re fed daily, and the strange cult of superficial adoration."

Ludovic Gontrand brings a larger-than-life twist to the classic road trip story - overlaying a nostalgic ode to youth with a deeper message of acceptance and trust - in his video for Seoul-born, Paris-based producer and DJ Didi Han.Shot between Paris and Marseilles, the video for Youth follows a lonely giant hitchhiker - played by 7’4” Serbian actor Dalibor Micic - who is picked up by a group of young friends.Squeezed together in the back seat of a clapped-out car, the group embark on an epic journey across France, stopping off to raid petrol stations, dance at warehouse raves and admire sweeping views. Bonded by their shared experiences and growing camaraderie, the giant’s awkwardness blossoms into quiet confidence.Intercutting between bleak landscapes and intimately observed human moments, the film - beautifully shot by DoP Jeff Bierman - traces both a physical and emotional journey.Filmed over three days with a small and agile crew, the team travelled from Paris to Marseilles in order to fully immerse themselves in the road trip experience, even throwing a real-life rave party in a Marseilles warehouse. Meanwhile the hypnotic Dalibor Micic anchors the film with a subtly sensitive performance.HAMLET director Ludovic Gontrand says: “With this film, we wanted to celebrate the naivety of youth with all its spontaneity and beauty, as well as portraying an alternative point of view by giving the classic road trip narrative an unexpected twist."Sometimes you make great friends on the road - it’s all about being fearless and accepting people for who they are.”

Wolf Alice return with their first new music in three years and a video to defy expectations from Colin Solal Cardo - a musical theatre showstopper, inspired by Bob Fosse, choreographed by Ryan Heffington.In the video for Bloom Baby Bloom, Solal Cardo sets the band's full-on rock 'n roll performance of the lead-off track from new album The Clearing within a dance rehearsal studio packed with dancers. From the maelstrom of bodies and activity, lead singer Ellie Rowsell emerges as both rock band frontwoman and integrated member of the 20 strong company of dancers.The result is sensational - a relatively straightforward set-up that's orchestrated to perfection by Solal Cardo and his choreographer-accomplice Heffington, through colour, movement and sheer personality. And as the band move into serious rock territory with the track, this is an adrenalin-shot of a visual that feels counter-intuitive - and a triumph.The influences are clear - particularly the Bob Fosse biopic (in all but name) All That Jazz and his various contributions to musicals. There's also the nods to various Fosse-influenced productions in the 70s that brought rock music together with the musical, including Fame. Ultimately, Colin Solal Cardo and Ryan Heffington have paid due homage but also made the Wolf Alice completely fresh.They have brought together are a cast of dancers who offer individual personality as well as collective brilliance to the piece. And above all it's the performance by the now raven-haired Ellie Rowsell that is a revelation. That's five stars. A very exciting introduction to the new album.

Sam Fender has reunited with Adolescence director Philip Barantini for a video starring Owen Cooper - the young star of the acclaimed Netflix drama.The video for Little Bit Closer follows Cooper and a group of friends on a camping trip in the Lake District, where Cooper’s character quietly contemplates questions of faith. It’s a beautifully-shot short film that broadly plays on the original themes expressed within the song’s lyrics.The film is largely a character piece, so viewers may speculate on why the boy's emotions bubble to the surface in moments away from his friends. Essentially Barantini has focussed upon another, less sensational but entirely relatable aspect of growing up: the change from childhood to youth, when you may start to consider your actual existence. Fender previously worked with Barantini back in 2021, working alongside him and fellow Adolescence star and co-writer Stephen Graham for the UKMVA-winning video for Spit Of You. That was very powerful and in a quite different way, so is this."It’s so great to be working with Phil [Barantini] again," Sam Fender has commented. "I had no doubt he was the right director for this piece - his video for Spit of You was my favourite."Phil called to say he’d asked Owen if he’d like to be in the video, and that Owen was keen. I was elated that he could do it after seeing his incredible performance in Adolescence. Alongside Semera Khan [Creative Director] and the rest of the cast and team, they have created something beautiful.”Philip Barantini adds: “To have the opportunity to direct another video for Sam was an immediate 'yes' - an absolute no-brainer for me! Not only is Sam an incredible artist but he’s a beautiful human and a great friend! Also, the opportunity to direct Owen again so soon after Adolescence was an absolute joy!"