The duo’s new music video With You is a romantic rave epic. Speaking on the shoot, that happened in a Paris studio, OHHara explained the second to last sequence of dance was filmed as lightning erupted across the city and wider France. OHHara venture, “It mirrored the strobe lights of our shoot. It felt like the Gods were with us.” Obsession with Greek mythology and futurist aesthetics are perfectly balanced in this release.
OHHara’s forward facing electronica layers choral-inflected vocals that stretch into the atonal with a flattening of vocals that resonates deeply, shrouded in hyper-energetic rising synthetic strings. The drumbeats and fiery industrial music are akin to the thriving industrial techno scene that lives in warehouses on the outskirts of Paris, as pushed by Emma DJ and co. but, OHHara is softer. They’ve been compared with SOPHIE. Opening with breathy delivery, Denma and Laurence lock heads — OHHara think as one, to transcend destiny, despite the heavy noise surrounding them. The mention of Andromeda in the lyrics is romantic, yet implies violence and destruction. She’s the Greek whose beauty angered Poseidon. Hot femmes causing chaos and jealousy is a timeless story.
On desirability, With You is poised, everyone is dressed in head to toe Anne Demeulemeester, the epitome of cool. There’s an interesting look at time and timelessness in the track and video: sped up, slowed down. OHHara’s artistic references look forward and backward, like the Greek god Janus. References and timeframes swirl together. Gaétan Vermeulan choreographed the dancers, some of whom are from the Paris Opera, wear undone pirate’s shirts, de-constructed outfits care of director and stylist Zoe Bleu Arquette. Arquette also acts in Luc Besson’s new Dracula out last month. OHHara situate themselves easily in culture’s never-ending obsession with foundational texts and historic dressing, but With You is more than a remake.
