Soul funk group La Hazel dropped a banger of a single earlier in the year and have now returned with a killer clip to match. Filled with moving narrative, Begging flickers between multiple story lines.
We are first introduced to Ted, a young child desperately seeking the attention of his mother, who in turn is lost in the grief of a failed relationship.
The boy’s youthful innocence and yearning is paired beautifully with the numb apathy of the mother, while the searching and pained soul of La Hazel create the perfect backdrop for such an intimate and sad relationship.
Interconnecting the stories of young and old, La Hazel speak to the universality of grief and loneliness in their new clip Begging.
Paralleled to this is an old man caught in the darkest moments of grief, which we learn are symptomatic of the loss of his wife. Beautifully shot in shadows, the audience aches for him as he searches his apartment, desperate for distraction and caught in the heartbreaking memory of the love he had.
Interjected by performative clips of the band, the bare warehouse setting is simple and in no way distracting from the gorgeously articulated narrative of Begging itself.
While there is no resolve, Begging doesn’t leave you wanting more, rather wrapping up with a heavy heart and overwhelming feelings of empathy. If there was ever a way to articulate grief and loneliness, La Hazel have done it. Simple and impeccably produced, Begging is a triumph of a music video.
These guys have been gearing up for this release for a while, and not without reason. La Hazel have proved to me that they are a brilliant voice for soul and R&B in Australia.
Anyone in Melbourne would be lucky to catch them, should the opportunity arise.
