Dearly Beloved,
I invite you to join me in a viewing of a rather non-traditional burial. Whom (or what), you might ask, is the dearly departed?
Love.
That sweet tasting, bad for your health type of love. That blinding, ecstatic, act-a-fool type of love. To that type of toxic, all-consuming fantasy, Little Coyote bids a not-so-fond farewell.
Intimate relationships are an infinitely complex whirlwind of euphoric highs and sickening lows. To quote “Dig Up My Grave”, the newest single/music video from Little Coyote, such relationships can often plague us with this compulsion to “give [our] last breath—give…all that [we] have left.” Lead singer/songwriter Teagan Johnston goes on to punctuate this sobering contemplation with a rhetorical, tongue-in-cheek follow-up: “…because that’s what love is—isn’t it?”
So much subtext to unpack, but first, a bit about the song.
Dig Up Your Grave is an aesthetically minimalist, yet emotionally visceral, visual expression of the struggle to find peace and empowerment amongst the throws of loss and heartbreak. The feeling of momentum that pervades the entire journey of the song is dizzying—dizzying in precisely the same way as the trials and heartache that comprise the lyrical content.
This emotional rollercoaster is only heightened by the visual accompaniment, arranged and choreographed by Aria Evans and Teagan herself. When asked about the underlying narrative behind this heavily symbolic piece, Teagan elaborates by stating that,
“[the] bareness of the setting…is meant to allow the focus to be on the movement of the dancers and the dirt. The dirt was used as a [grave-related] prop for something that…we could use as an outlet to express ourselves. The choices each dancer is making in their movement were chosen by them as ways [they] could represent emotions they could connect with [in regard to] moving on from a relationship.”
The intentionally independent choreography of the dancers does a superb job of reflecting the vast expanse—the chaotic territory that is extreme emotions expressed through the filters of passion, aggression, and rejection. When it comes to vulnerability within the context of romantic—hell, ALL relationships, those feelings can come and go like bolts of lightning in a desert. Such is the same for the visual movement within the video—lightning fast, and sky-high to dirt-low.
The subtext? Don't let such things "bury [you] alive." Instead, confront them. Own them. Choose to use them for your will and you will thrive.
For all these facets, I was happy to have the opportunity to give my thoughts on this video. Life is not always a party. Life has peaks and life has valleys. Embrace both with open arms, and you will know the joy of experiencing a life fully lived.
SYNCHRONIZATION LICENSING (Composition and Sound Recording) AVAILABLE FROM HUNNYPOT PUBLISHING.
