Hannah Cohen Premieres A Claustrophobic Video For “Claremont”
An emotional number from the singer’s ‘Pleasure Boy’ album.
The first lines of "Claremont" suggest that Hannah Cohen has reached an emotional breaking point: I'm not gonna let you take this away from me / I've let you break almost everything. The track contains little besides softly-strummed guitar and Cohen's quavery-but-resilient voice. Why won't you just love me? she wonders, her tone beginning to wear—she's almost past the point of caring.
The video for the song, directed by Jay Anania and premiering today on FADER, expertly mirrors the elegant simplicity of the tune. Cohen sits alone at a half-cracked window with her guitar, and the camera spends a lot of time zoomed in close on her face. There's a claustrophobic feel—you're almost too close—that enforces the intense intimacy of the song. But there's also a feeling of unknowability: despite the scrutiny of the lens, the singer's face is half in shadow.
Cohen met Anania by accident. "A year and a half ago, my best friend convinced me to meet up with Jay about a strange (and very cool) experimental film he was planning to shoot," she tells FADER. "I politely agreed to meet him, but fully expected not to be interested because I've never acted before. That wasn't an option. Jay's excitement and creativity is infectious and before I knew it, my hair was eight inches shorter, platinum blonde and we were shooting scenes. When it came time to shoot my own videos for this album, the first person I thought of was Jay. He's just the kind of director that you trust implicitly will 'get it.' Watch the video above, and catch Cohen on tour in June with none other than Paul Weller, founder of the Jam and the Style Council.
Tour Dates w/ Paul Weller
June 9th – Washington, DC - 9.30 Club
June 10th - Philadelphia - Union Transfer
June 12th - New York, NY - Terminal 5
June 13th – Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
June 14th - Clifton Park (Albany), NY - Upstate Concert Hall
June 15th – Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
June 17th – Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
June 18th – Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
June 19th – Pittsburgh, PA - Mr Smalls Theatre
June 20th - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg