Photo of Phantom Balance by Sam Phan
South Dakota-based indie MCs Ezrah Ounce and Frank Villon (aka Phantom Balance) have shared a sly if not nostalgic new video for their single "Out the Window," the first preview of their upcoming album You Are Going to Die Soon.
The melancholic track, which fuses experimental synths with jagged but polished hip-hop, finds the brothers trading bars over production from Aussie producer Stew Green (aka Carnivals), whose own instrumental track "Yearn" provides the perfect footing for this new Phantom Balance creation.
As for the video, it follows three young friends described as "calloused and sometimes desperate small-town community." There's a little mischief, some partying, a dude who goes streaking and a bonfire. And somehow the simple clip brilliantly captures nostalgic elements of growing up in the Midwest.
It's appropriate because the duo says their forthcoming album—the title is a reference to lyrics in "Window"—will be their "most personal" material, inspired by their experiences "growing up in Minnesota on a reservation and small town."
The video for "Out the Window," which was directed by Wes Eisenhauer and Passenger Productions, can be seen below. (Note: There is brief male nudity.)