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Written years ago when singer Lindsey Mackin began performing in Austin, the ambient anxiety of Annabelle Chairlegs’ sophomore LP Gotta Be In Love was predetermined long before the pandemic. Maybe the surfy, jittery set of forceful rock songs, particularly “Outside,” held out for such isolated circumstances. As a Jetsons-ish cosmonaut sealed in a bubble helmet, Mackin opens ominously: “If you’re gonna go outside, should I warn you? ‘Cause if you’re gonna go outside, they will harm you.”
Known for diaphanous scenes, local director Vanessa Pla shared the short’s extraterrestrial inspiration via Instagram: “[Lindsey] and I spent months talking about our weird surreal ideas. When COVID hit, the lyrics made more sense to us than ever and inspired us to create a world of our own.”
Sci-fi styled in pastels, Mackin breaks through walls and peers out windows. Trekking through whimsical scenes of flowers and floating goldfish, the looming monster never appears. Bassist Derek Vaughan Nunez Strahan and drummer Billy Wong appear only as floating heads in jars, a clever coronavirus precaution.
The full “Outside” crew includes Zach Morrison, Mackenzie McMahon, Tiger Hill, Andy Hoffman, Jackson Montgomery Schwartz, Kevin Baker, Jordan Langmore, Noah Goodman, and Dave Wolfe. Enjoy more of Pla’s work in a recent series for Tele Novella, as well as Chairlegs’ “Candy Apple Red.” – Rachel Rascoe
RUNNERS-UP: Being Dead, “Underworld” [Dir. Riley Engemoen, Juli Keller, Cody Dosier]; Dossey, “Someone to Love” [Dir. Peter Longno]; Caroline Rose, “Feel the Way I Want” [Dir. Caroline Rose]; Jonathan Tyler feat. Nikki Lane, “Old Friend” [Dir. Jonathan Tyler, Scott Wade, Chris Boosahda]
This article appears in March 5 • 2021.