Live Review: PREMIERE: LÂLKA shares a subversive audiovisual masterpiece with her 'Shut Up' clip
What's most immediate about the creative vision behind LÂLKA is how totally dedicated she is to delivering an entire experience. Not just auditory, there's elements of visual, emotional and sensory experiences waiting to be had in there too.
Her latest single 'Shut Up' has become a punchy, feminist anthem that hits kind of close to home. Her sleek, dynamic vocals feel so controlled and very apt against the complicated, industrial sounding instrumental and it's something special.
The track is co-producer by LÂLKA and Huxx of Kult Kyss, so from that information alone, you can kind of tell it's going to be a gritty, dark and incredibly well mapped out single.
She's an audiovisualist at heart, which is why we're so stoked to be premiering this very special video coming from her to accompany 'Shut Up'.
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There's a lot to unpack with this clip and I think it's a real testament to LÂLKA and the understanding she has not only of this project, but of herself and her creative process too. This clip is as much about what she's decided to show you as what she has not decided to. There's meaning through imagery and it's a very clever tactic.
Recurring images of her face being obscured hold so much purpose:
"In parts of the video, my face is deliberately obscured and I wanted to use that to represent a sense of subversion in identity, whether it’s sexual or gender identity."
The clip itself runs through the themes of frustration running fraught through the single, and her choice of casting and costume is most insightful too.
The clip features clothing from Swedish based label MLì by SVENSSON and Brisbane based label Branded by Eily. She connected with them through Instagram and was lucky enough to be able to use their designs within the clip.
She had an all-female imagery team behind this clip too which makes it all the more special, and it is definitely something that was important to her during this entire process. She said:
"I directed and edited it myself, collaborating very closely with Sophia Dique as my Director of Photography. Erryn from BROADER LINES and I worked together on styling and photography, and Jessalee from Jessalee Makeup & Hairdesign has amazing amounts of creativity when it comes to creating unique looks.
I’ve known these women even before I began my journey as LALKA, and collaborating with them foregrounds our friendship and support for each other in a world where female creatives are often pitted against one another. It wasn’t a consciously deliberate decision to have an “all-female” visual team but I think the result from that is creating a visual piece of work that is unique because the male gaze is absent."
LÂLKA is proving to be one of the most exciting new projects. She seems to have this constant drive to always be creating and always pushing what she knows and understands about not only the project, but about herself. It's poignant, confident but most of all, daring, original and uncompromising.
Aside from creating all of these cool works, she's also in the midst of bringing a new club night to Brisbane. Her mission is to make LÂLKA+FRIENDS an experience and safe space for everyone.
It's going to be a semi-regular roving local clubnight inspired by yaeji's NYC events. The first instalment, at Bloodhound Bar on May 18, will also feature REBEL YELL and DEATH CLUB 7.
Words by Caitlin Medcalf
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