Self-described 'friendly computer composers' from Germany, last month Felsmann + Tiley released their newest concept album 'Protomensch', a record exploring humanity's contradictions.
It also sees the duo delve deeper into darker, more expansive territory, pushing the boundaries of synthwave, neo classical, ambient, and cinematic music.
Best known for their M83 cover of 'Solitude', Felsmann + Tiley have been creating their unique brand of drumless synthwave for two-plus decades, often collaborating with Australian artists like The Kite String Tangle.
On 'Protomensch', they teamed with another Australian indietronica artist Woodes on 'Always You'.
Hauntingly cinematic and imbued with a velvety sonic softness that's achingly beautiful, Woodes' angelic vocals the perfect tonic to complement Felsmann + Tiley dazzling electronic soundscape that would fit snuggly on a soundtrack for 'Industry'.
"'Always You' came from a quiet resistance to constant self-optimisation. We keep telling ourselves to grow, evolve, and do better, but often that's just a superficial repaint job," Dominik Felsmann says.
The music video sees Felsmann + Tiley collaborate with director AJ Meadows, the clip's creative exploring the bittersweet awareness of time moving forward while balancing the desire to reconnect with who we once were.
Ahead of the music video's release tomorrow, today scenestr is thrilled to premiere the 'Always You (feat. Woodes)' clip. Enjoy.
"This song is the counterweight to the darker edges of our 'Protomensch' album," adds Dominik. "We imagined it as half lullaby, half trailer for one of those animated kids' movies about an unlikely superhero – gentle, hopeful, and deeply human.
"Woodes' angelic voice and songwriting felt like a perfect match for the instrumental and the story. The moment we heard her first ideas, we knew this would become one of our favourite tracks on the record."
The collaboration with AJ Meadows was fuelled by the pair's output on 'Protomensch' that the American director was following via the album's singles.
"AJ, the director, reached out to us on Instagram after the first couple of singles from the album had dropped. We loved his work and felt he'd be the right person to tell the story of 'Always You'," Dominik says.
"When he first heard the track, he immediately imagined two individuals reaching out to each other, desperate for connection.
"As the concept evolved, it became a story about a woman who feels stuck or exhausted by life, and how reconnecting with a younger version of herself gives her the strength to move forward with the life she still has ahead of her. We love how this video stands in contrast to the other visuals on the album.
"It's warmer, more hopeful, and quietly melancholic. Seeing how he interpreted our music through his own lens was eye-opening and made us see our own work in a completely new light."
AJ was equally enthusiastic to be working alongside Felsmann + Tiley. "When I first heard Felsmann + Tiley's song 'Always You' featuring Woodes, I had a strong emotional reaction to it," AJ says.
"It immediately conjured up imagery in my mind of two individuals reaching out to each other, desperate for connection.
"As the concept evolved, the story developed into one about a woman who feels stuck or exhausted with life but by embracing a younger version of herself she feels newly motivated to move forward with the life she still has left to live."
It was an organically collaborative process, with Felsmann + Tiley open to AJ's creative direction. "F+T graciously encouraged my team to create this video and pursue our vision for the visual component to the song's story.
"They empowered us as storytellers, which is rare in this world, and so we strived to make a video that did justice to the beauty of their song.
"As someone who has periodically suffered from imposter syndrome, 'Always You' felt like a beautiful little reminder that the best version of ourselves is always waiting right there for us and is reached simply by embracing our authentic selves. . . that we are already enough.
"Hopefully this video captured that message with some modicum of success and added to that story."
