VIDEO PREMIERE | Jake Bellissimo, "Where I'm At, Right Now"

We last featured Berlin by way of Rochester, NY artist Jake Bellissimo at the start of the year exploring The Motion that We Make EP and the momentum of life’s own narratives in motion. Progressing deeper into the orchestral tiers of pop baroque, Bellissimo has honed a stage and screen aesthetic that aims for the hall of fame pantheon that counts teams like Rodgers/Hammerstein, the Sherman brothers, Ashman/Menken, Rice/Webber and so forth. While the illustrious stages of Broadway remain closed until further notice as our universe enters a period of recuperation, renewal, reformation and perhaps maybe even something of a future renaissance; Bellissimo continues to compose musicals that illustrate the world’s contemporary conundrums, personal developments (and check-ins), cultural clashes and more with the new album Swansongs. Arriving November 29 from Drunk With Love Records; Jake orchestrates songs to soundtrack the inner and outer soap operas that unfold from within our own beings and in the manic states of our shared and fractured global union.

Presenting the premiere of the visual for “Where I’m At, Right Now”, Jake Bellissimo welcomes the audience to their Berlin flat for a surrealist afternoon occasion. Directed and filmed by Svea Immel, set design by the artist’s partner John McDermott with color and effects provided by Stef Barsch — the entire production is executed with the principles of a pop theatric production that provides an intimate view of the protagonist's emotive and perspective framework. Jake Bellisimo greets the day in an awakening from slumber that recounts cyclical states, moments of disruption and the occupational ennui that echoes off the walls of existentialism reverberated in the lyrics, unaware if I'm changing my life or if my life is changing me. With this Jake gazes out the window at a bright day in Berlin as the song takes a pensive tone before arriving at a crescendo of an organized cacophony of sentiment and sound. As a barrage of feelings are expelled amid projections of floods and fires; the frantic uncorked energy returns to a calm as Bellissimo returns to bed, finishing a letter to their future self.

Jake Belissimo provided some reflections on the inspiration for the new song and visual:

While writing "Where I'm at, Right Now," I was dealing with understanding that time isn't necessarily a linear process for all people. As someone who deals with mental illness and lingering trauma, I often find myself consumed by memories. Writing this song was an attempt to reflect that headspace, using my old ensemble from when I lived in New York, dissonant cluster chords, and impulsively direct lyrics. Filmed in Berlin two years later, the music video (directed by Svea Immel) highlights the carefully organized chaos of the song, showing how stability is subjective.

Swansongs will be available November 29 via Drunk With Love Records

Cover art for Swansongs.