It’s no surprise the pandemic has caused a lot of musicians to find new ways to be creative. Seattle’s Guest Directors had to stash away the loud amps and drums of their live set and begin to explore working remotely with one another.

Writing, refining, producing, and recording. These initial results were documented on the Connected Heavens EP, released earlier this year.

Big Takeover is pleased to host the premiere of the music video for a song that didn’t quite make that EP’s deadline.

Taking a left turn from their typical full-volume, shoegaze-adjacent sound, “Treading Water” dips its toes into rivers forged by ’60s British folk rock outfits like Pentangle and Fairport Convention.

The finger-picked guitars and shanty-esqe melodies are combined with sinister electric guitar drones, haunting orchestration and primal rhythms – all of which give an almost Gothic or noir vibe that feels more modern than nostalgic.

It’s a pandemic song about the pandemic – at least how the pandemic has made so many people feel.

If you’ve been lucky, the past year has only caused you to have to put a lot of things on hold. If you’re lucky, you’ve been able to keep afloat by treading water – and sometimes it’s the best you can do.

The music video alternative between drab black ‘n’ white footage of a woman ruminating indoors and vivid clips of the outdoor setting that’s bursting with enticing images of the natural world – fields of poppies, stands of birch trees, the longview of lakes and bays…

“Treading Water” was released last Friday, August 6th, and is available on all the usual digital and streaming sites. Bandcamp also includes a bonus single – a new version of “When It’s All” (from Connected Heavens), remixed and reimagined by Obscure Colors.

Now that things are starting to open back up, Guest Directors are working on finishing up a full LP that they began tracking at the beginning of the pandemic. Listeners should expect a return to loud amps and drums, with the ten songs displaying a wide range of exploration into sonic space.

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