A Lesson in Loss: New 'Demons' Music Video Rethinks Memory

Luisa Ossa first became obsessed with “Demons” two years ago. The title track for the 2013 EP by Oliver Tree has now been recast by Ossa, director for the new music video, as an entangled relationship between self and memory.

The video is dedicated to her mother, who passed away last year. The loss inspired Ossa’s vision. She says:

“The memories I had of my mother would always make me cry, yet I feared forgetting them with time; it was a lose and lose game.”

The video is minimalist but not simple. A departure from other videos for Oliver Tree’s music, the protagonist exists in a wooded world with what appear to be multiple selves. Not enough music videos employ choreography, and this is a great how-to.

As concept art, there is a lot to be said for the video’s delicate storytelling. Strings in the music echo through the visuals to form a web on screen ― the levels of meaning are just more reason to love.