Behind The Scenes: Sumner's 'South' Music Video

Following on from their breakthrough single and debut release on Lab78, ‘Stranded’, electronic duo Sumner (Chloe Wilson & Jack McLaine) are back with their striking new single 'South', an ode to their home state of Tasmania. Co-written and produced with Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes (PNAU, Empire of the Sun), ‘South’ was written on the same day as ‘Stranded’ and is a continuation of the themes of introspection and recognition of their past selves. 

The video for ‘South’ was filmed between Newcastle, Sydney and Tasmania, with Nick Littlemore himself behind the camera for parts and another Littlemore brother, James, on editing duties. “We filmed half the film clip in Newcastle and Sydney’s CBD, with Nick Littlemore behind the camera shooting,” explain Sumner. “The second half we filmed ourselves in takayna / Tarkine, on the rugged north west coast of Tasmania. The contrast between the neon lights and sleek concrete of the city against the raw and untamed Tasmanian coastline aligns with those feelings of uncertainty towards your own personal identity. There's a multitude of selves to capture and fall in love with, and sometimes a place you resonate with can make that journey all the more euphoric and romantic.”

"South is a love song to Tasmania,” explain Sumner. “Our home state provided a place of comfort and healing in a time of searching and longing for a state of contentment. We were spending a lot of time in Hobart around that time, and with every trip I felt like I came back having found a little more of the person I wanted to become. I found solace in heading South.” “Originally South was a bit of a slow jam; sexy and slinky R&B vibes. We’d sent it in a pack of works in progress to Nick and Peter and when we arrived at the studio, they’d completely flipped the instrumental. We kept all of the original vocal parts from the demo and developed them to follow the energy Nick and Peter had injected into the track.”

Executive Director: Nicholas Littlemore 

Producer: Nicholas Littlemore, Chloe Wilson, Jack McLaine 

Edited and graded by James Littlemore 

DOP: Nicholas Littlemore, Chloe Wilson, Jack McLaine, Cameron Blyth 

HMU & styling: Chloe Wilson, Jack McLaine