"Single Ladies" is one of the most parodied videos of all time (and one of the best, at least according to Kanye West), but its influence has yet to be felt in the indie-rock world. Until this week, that is, when Brooklyn buzz band the Drums premiered their stylized video for "Down By The Water," which features synchronized choreography, matching sleek black outfits, and stark two-tone cinematography against a plain backdrop.
Sound familiar?
Of course, it's highly doubtful that the indie darlings had Beyonce and her fabulous one-sleeved leotard in mind when they shot this pleasingly minimalist clip. Frontman Jonathan Pierce, who is usually known for his herky-jerky, Ian-Curtisian dance moves, told Stereogum: "We wanted the 'Down By The Water' video to directly reflect the song itself, and be as simple as possible. Both the video and song are a tribute to the girl groups of the '50s and '60s, a great inspiration to the band and one of the reasons we started it."
The dreamy doo-wop vibe of the ballad certainly lends itself well to such imagery, and the video indeed conjures up nostalgic memories of "The Ed Sullivan Show" (as seen through a shoegazer filter, naturally). But it still seems like the Drums may have been at least subconsciously inspired by a more modern girl group--namely, Beyonce and her two unitarded backup dancers--when they lensed this video, which somehow comes across as a slow-motion, indie-rock version of Beyonce's iconic clip.
All I know is, this video is awesome, and I can't wait for the viral "Down By The Water" parodies to start popping up on YouTube.
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