Link to our Facebook
Link to our Instagram
Link to our TikTok

Live Review: Ben Frost 'Rare Decay' (Official Video)

24 April 2015 | 6:08 pm | Emma Jones

The previously only-released-in-Japan "power ambient" track 'Rare Decay' by Ben Frost is now released, and has some pretty interesting visuals to go with it

After the release of BEN FROST's latest album A U R O R A last year, it was picked up by a few loyal fans that there was a bonus track on the Japanese version that did not appear anywhere else. Now, those that didn't have access to that specific release of the album can share in the dark ambience that is Rare Decay, along with some pretty intriguing visuals to accompany it. 

Frost himself described the clip as feeling like you were "inside a particle accelerator", and that is a surprisingly apt description given what the clip shows. Combining visuals by artist MFO (shown at last year's Unsound festival) with live footage of the band filmed by Theresa Baumgartner, the clip is a hypnotic slice of sci-fi that perfectly suits the dark, industrial track.

The muffled, fuzzed out drum patterns, whirring synths and omnious industrial noises that make up Rare Decay are equal parts ambient as they are powerful; two words that are not often used together, but somehow sum up the sounds going on here. The eerie vibe of the track is focussed on in the visuals, with unsettling cuts of strobe lights and live band and crowd footage, before swapping to the artistic visuals provided by MFO.

Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter

Each part of the clip works so cohesively with the track, you would be forgiven for thinking it was intended as an AV project, with both aspects representing the tense, forboding feel of the song. The abstract nature of both the song and clip is highlighted, and although there is no set groove to the track, the added emphasis of the clip puts forward a different type - one that is hypnotic and captivating.

The track is available for free download, and you can purchase A U R O R A now.

Words by Emma Jones.

SEE ALSO