James Chappell directs a high concept, colourfully dystopian promo for Ruel's I Don't Want To Be Like You. Reeling from the fourth wall-breaking realisation that he is the main character in his own reality show, Ruel tries to escape from a horde of oppressive blue minions.Inspired by Ruel's favourite film The Truman Show, this sets the stage for the ultimate showdown of defiance - a game of chicken featuring Man vs Car.Slick, idiosyncratic and beautifully shot, it's a punchy promo trimmed of any fat, with a captivating performance at its core.

Directing duo AB/CD/CD directs a mind-bending slice of pop magic for Mae Muller's I Wrote A Song - the UK entry at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Taking it's lead from the infectious, bouncy vibe of the track the video by the French directing duo takes these qualities and amps them up to a hundred. Featuring a menagerie of glossy studio sets, the video - which was premiered on BBC ONE last Thursday, when the song was announced as Britain's entry to Eurovision - sees Muller lament her cheating ex, as she haunts him on a whimsical journey through dreamlike sets. Experimenting with perspective and a push-and-pull style narrative, it's exactly the kind of eccentric promo that a UK Eurovision entry needs, and is one of the most enjoyable videos of the year so far.

Raman Djafari combines live action and animation to brilliant effect in the extraordinary new video for the brilliant Ashnikko - creating a Mad Max-esque dystopian landscape to transform the pop star into a monster truck-wielding hero, fighting off robot overlords as she navigates a strange new world.In an intense bombardment of visual imagination, Djafari fuses his signature aesthetic of texturally rich CGI with the unhinged, transgressive ambitions of Ashnikko, to create a wonderful, weird, high-octane action movie. The influences on the video range from painters Bruegel and Carravagio, to Bjork, to 90s animes like Neon Genesis Evangelion - but you really have to watch on repeat to catch everything that is going on.Djafari worked closely with Ashnikko and her creative director Vassu Vu in conceptualising the video for Worms - which takes the distinctive style of his previous work - such as his massively successful video for Elton John and Dua Lipa's Cold Heart - into a whole new dimension."I wanted to create a vast world that stretches way beyond the bounds of this one music video, like there's an abundance of stories waiting to be told," says Djafari. "I indulged my love for creature design and developed dozens of individual characters, monsters, robots and a huge monster truck. It was important to me to bring the world around this album to life, with a richness that reflects the depth of the music and lyrics."Working with Ash and Vasso was a truly precious collaboration between artists - they supported and trusted my personal interpretation of the universe they created together. Looking back, I wish I could have spent more time in this world. I feel like this video barely scratches the surface of what I would love to create together with Ashnikko."Fingers crossed we'll get another chance to collaborate in the future.”

Luis Hindman returns with another mesmerising visual for Joesef, this time in the form of a three-part live film, where the Scottish soul singer performs songs from his debut album, Permanent Damage, released in January.Set in the same world as the excellent series of videos directed by Hindman for tracks from the album, the film takes place in the fictional 'Apartment 22' - a place referenced in the album, where Joesef has been stranded by a past lover. Shot on 16mm, the video was shot by Jake Gabbay, and is comprised of subtle Steadicam shots by Justin Theodore as Joesef and his band perform three songs: Joe, Borderline and Just Come Home With Me Tonight.The textural, almost surreal aesthetic perfectly contrasts the intimate live performance, and the concept as a whole is a brilliant extension to the universe Hindman and the artist have so lovingly brought to life.

Brittney Canda and Monse Muro co-direct this fun, evocative promo for Canadian singer Hanorah. In the video, we see the artist try to make the most of her time, juggling work, errands and attempts at dating whilst also battling the physical manifestations of her troubles - visualised as a group of close-proximity strangers. They weigh on her, drag her down and just make the whole going about life thing a real pain... Sick and tired of feeling like the only person on earth carrying this much dead weight, Hanorah reaches a transcendent moment of freedom through music — and gets a glimpse into what the people around her are carrying around, too.This is really well executed idea by Muro and UMVA-winning choreographer and director Canda. The cinematography is colourful yet gritty, adding a real-world edge to the dreamlike concept, and the inspired movement and tangle of body parts really drills the idea home - and will have viewers thankful for their own personal space after watching.

Arlo Parks celebrates her impurities and those who uplift her, in Jak Payne's breathtaking new promo. The video plays out in a series of theatrical, minimalist sets, with different rooms and performance setups created within a studio setting. Experimenting with light, texture and experimental camerawork, the video channels the enigmatic soundscapes of the track into an ethereal, transcendent aesthetic, which blurs the lines between reality and fiction. The idea of family and community sit at the centre of the concept, and whilst the dreamlike aesthetic might suggest an otherworldly vibe, the star of the show is the everyday stories and emotions hinted at in the vignettes. Beautiful work.

Max McLachlan helps introduce the world to the new Birdy, in this captivating promo for Raincatchers. The video depicts Birdy as a giant, helping her younger self (played by Eleanor Hockley) navigate a world of corporate monotony and oppressive rules, blending semi-autobiographic lyrics with dark fantasy aesthetics. "Birdy is not a kid anymore," says McLachlan. "The world has known her since she was barely a teenager. She wanted a music video that would shed the dainty image of her as a naive child, but address the years of youth lost having to play grown-up in the industry."What better way to show how much she’s grown than to make her a giant?"Birdy drops down a miniature scale model of the office environment to the young girl, empowering her to see herself from a new vantage point, and gather the courage to break free and blaze her own path - whilst seeing life in a more playful way, as the child she is. The desaturated, near-dystopian aesthetic perfectly suits the narrative concept, and it's packed full of absorbing, emotional iconography.

Chris Fowles directs an innovative and intriguing promo for singer-songwriter Henry Moodie, combining normal screen shape and vertical video in one clever concept. For Drunk Text, Fowles has Moodie sitting in the front seat on the upper deck of a bus during two different journeys - a day in April, and a night in November - captured from the same camera position. Meanwhile, behind him, a series of interconnected stories unfold among a number passengers who are also on both journeys.The regular 16:9 screen is also divided into three sections, which enables Fowles to use split-screen to cut between journeys, and emphasise the small dramas and interactions between the characters. And Moodie always remains in the central section of the 'triptych', performing the heartfelt Drunk Text."The concept was designed specifically for new video mediums like TikTok," Fowles confirms. "We wanted to experiment with using the format itself to tell the story."So when viewed vertically, you’ll only see the main performance. But when viewed with the widescreen you reveal all the stories and context."In doing so, Fowles has been entirely successful. There is a real complexity to the soap opera unfolding behing Moodie that makes it worth watching again. But in the dovetailing of both narrative and conceptual ideas it also makes a real contribution in addressing the issue of competing video formats.