James Bay keeps watch over an old-school high street video shop, where he reminisces about a past love, in Jake Jelicich's absorbing video for Alesso & Marshmello's Chasing Stars. As Bay plays 90s and 00s VHS tapes on analogue TVs dotted around his cosy store, Jelicich switches between the warmth of the singer's performance and glitchy tape footage, replaying transitionary memories of time gone by. It works really well in creating a sentimental and nostalgic sensibility around the song.Then as light is revealed behind the VHS shelves, Bay eventually breaks free of the four walls of the store, and suddenly he is on a beach with his old love. It's all made possible by Jelicich and his team having custom-built the video store, with terrific attention to detail for memorabilia of the period, in a studio. Then they headed for Margate to shoot that crucial end sequence.With a winning performance from James Bay, the video fittingly pays homage to a wide array of 90s/00s films, including Empire Records, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Interstellar and The Ring. Above all, Jelicich has paid homage to the late, lamented video store itself - and done a really splendid job.
Rob Ulitski - 26th Aug 2021