videoSamm Henshaw 'Grow' by Jim PillingJim Pilling captures the challenges of a relationship in this charmingly relatable video for Grow - the second in the series of accompanying visuals for Samm Henshaw's album Untidy Soul.Following the video for Still Broke - featuring Henshaw as a very unhappy, lonely rich guy - the second chapter takes us back two years, exploring the new romance of Samm and Tiana Major9's characters Sonny and Selah, and the trials and tribulations that come with moving in together and living with each other does not always go to plan. Shot on 16mm by DoP Rik Burnell, the visual builds a slightly surreal comic world which begins when the couple visit a plant store to buy a plant for their new home, and encounter the world's most unhelpful shop owner. Tiana is offered a bonsai tree by a mysterious elderly shop assistant which comes to symbolise the health of their relationship.Co-written by Pilling and Henshaw, the video develops the slightly surreal comic tone of Still Broke, with the indie-urban sophistication of Spike Lee's early comedies. There is a combination of dialogue and subtitles to push forward the story of rising tensions between the characters, and Henshaw and Tiana are pitch-perfect in their roles as the couple unable to make a last step towards contentment. “In the track, Samm’s exploring the idea of having to work at a relationship, and it not always being easy for it to be good," explains Jim Pilling. "He and I built this world around the track, and the story goes to show that even some sage advice from a guy with a bonsai tree isn’t always enough to save a relationship.”
Rob Ulitski - 26th July 2021