London-based singer-songwriter Wyldest - aka Zoë Mead - revisits old memories in Mark Van Heusden's promo for Abilene. The video starts with a young woman moving out of her flat, and then discovering an item in one of her boxes that leads her to reminisce about times with her best girlfriend. Cue some very well-observed and entertaining scenes of the pair hanging out together, back in the day, as two quite different characters develop a special bond. Instead of focusing on the sad aspects of what has been lost, the concept celebrates the enduring power of friendship. Nicely played by Izabella Maleska - in the Wyldest role - and Tutku Barbaros as her friend, Van Heusden also honours that important dramatic rule that opposites attract. "In the video I decided to focus on a memory of an old friend, but instead of making it sad I wanted it to be happy and even a bit silly," explains Van Heusden. "Whenever you come together with an old friend you always bring up the silly and funny memories that make you laugh and enjoy past times - and that is what this video portrays. Each memory is a little vignette with a fun twist hidden in it."
Rob Ulitski - 20th June 2022