My Top 5 Music Videos - REFLECKTA

Heartbeats, guitar solos and the songs that shaped a debut: REFLEKTA pick their top five…

Ahead of their debut album Way Back Home, we asked REFLEKTA to share the five songs that have meant the most to them. The results say a lot about where ‘My Love’ came from.

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‘My Love’ did not arrive through careful planning. It came on a Friday night, mid-strum, from a place its writer cannot fully account for. That kind of instinctive relationship with music runs deep in REFLEKTA, the Sydney Brit rock outfit whose debut album Way Back Home lands 19 June via Community Music/Unified Music Group. The record took shape fast: sessions that began with an EP in mind quickly grew into a full album, driven by a momentum that neither the band nor their engineer Oscar were willing to cut short.

The result is a debut that draws on a wide emotional and sonic range, from the euphoric rush of lead single ‘My Love’ to the more searching, socially conscious material across the rest of the tracklist. Previous releases including ‘What It Means’, ‘Ricky Polly’ and ‘Feel the Revelry’ have already earned the band over 31,000 streams and editorial playlist support from Apple Music worldwide.

To understand what makes REFLEKTA tick, it helps to know the records and tracks they grew up with: the melodies they borrowed from, the moments that made them want to pick up a guitar in the first place. The five songs below do not just reflect the band’s tastes. They go a long way toward explaining how a Sydney outfit ends up being described by their own fans as ‘Fooasis’, and why that description fits.

Over to REFLEKTA.

Although my musical tastes are quite different to our music, they figured it made sense given I’ve made the music videos and I’m responsible for the visuals for the band.

I have quite a diverse taste in music, from cinema scores and ambient all the way to brutal, heavy music. However, my taste in music videos often tends to lean towards cinematic and moody visuals. I also love when the vibe of the video matches the vibe of the music, as it creates a world where the music belongs. The editing is usually quite restrained and rarely contains much CGI or special effects.

• Aphex Twin - Windowlicker

  
  

  I used to stay up late watching rage (an Australian music video program on tv) on a Saturday night when I was younger and almost every guest programmer picked this song. I love Aphex Twin and this video perfectly sums up his personality. It’s hilarious in the way it pokes fun at hip hop music videos.

• Sigur Rós - Glósóli

  
  

  This music video is as stunning as the song itself. The narrative is beautiful and sad, while showcasing the Icelandic landscape. The switch to a golden colour-grade for the uplifting crescendo is a nice detail. 

• Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

  
  

  This is a perfect example of what you can achieve with a simple concept and a small budget (I assume). The colours, costume and choreography make the video dark and moody, while also whimsical and it perfectly matches the song and artist. 

• Deftones - Minerva 

  
  

  Massive and majestic is how I would describe this one. The location and props create an overwhelming sense of scale and atmosphere that perfectly mirrors the song itself. 

• The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

  
  

  I couldn't leave this one out, especially when our music is so Brit-inspired. It's so iconic. It's incredibly simple but everything going on in the background keeps you drawn in. The gritty film texture, muted colour palette and environment keep it all relative to the music.