Amen Dunes, ‘Splits Are Parted’

By Robin Hilton  |  NPR

Do not attempt to adjust your computer. Your Internet connection is fine. The flickering, disjointed images that flash before your eyes in the latest video from Amen Dunes, for the song “Splits Are Parted,” are intentional.

It’s hard to make out much in this short film directed by Jesse Hlebo apart from the warm, pulsing lights and the silhouette of a young girl running in slow motion. But it seems to capture the yearning and mystery of the song as Amen Dunes frontman Damon McMahon cries, “Oh I could love you.” The result is beautiful and transfixing, if also a little unnerving. (Don’t watch it if you’re prone to photosensitive seizures). McMahon says it’s “about always leaving and always looking back.”

“Splits Are Parted” is from Amen Dunes’ latest and third full-length, Love, out now on Sacred Bones. The album includes collaborations with monster saxophone player Colin Stetson and the rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

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