PREMIERE: Siam Jem - "No Luck"

☆ review by Liv Bjorgum ☆

Siam Jem, a dreamy, four-member Los Angeles group, released their EP “No Luck” in June of 2019. Now, we are excited to be premiering the music video for the name track off the EP — “No Luck.” The self-described ‘shoegaze and dream-pop’ band is comprised of Michaela Rabina on lead vocals and guitar, Nico Brough on guitar, Paige Arevalo on bass, and Nicole Bandoquillo on drums. First formed in 2016, Siam Jem’s often seen on lineups with bands with similarly unique takes on pop music such as Slow Hollows, Current Joys, and Inner Wave. Notably, the four-piece also took the stage last summer at Pure Nowhere x Kids Next Door’s Art Prom in Los Angelesl!

The video follows the band and friends as they drive and roller-skate through the day. Directed by Emma Fernandez, with cinematography by Jeremy HerronIt, No Luck evokes the simultaneously nostalgic and youthful feeling of the EP’s cover, which features a pair of rollerskates and numerous black-and-white photos on a drum. The hazy, vignette shots feel like being inside someone else’s memory. The view of the scene shrinks and then expands in the car again at the end of the video, emphasizing the feeling of freedom.

When asking Nicole about the motivations behind the video, they replied with: “it’s for people of color, and the queer community.” The simple, youthful activities in the video take on a wistful meaning when considered in the context of today’s environment. The brightness of the video and the inhabitants of its world creates a feeling of hope and love, speaking to Nicole’s dedication. Together with the upbeat instrumentals and the chorus of “I’ll be waiting around, waiting around, waiting around,” the video paints an ethereal picture of feeling caught between the present and the future.