Welcome back to Just Press Play!

This week features a fresh, right off the presses video, one that I may or may not have found at 1 a.m. last Friday (or, technically, Saturday?). And I may or may not have cried in my bed after watching it. A great way to start my fall break.

Max Schneider, who you might know from his roles on Nickelodeon, his amazing YouTube covers, or his recently released Hell’s Kitchen Angel, teamed up with singer/songwriter Gnash for a new version of his single, “Lights Down Low.‰” The song by itself already hits home with its strong lyrics and the singers‰’ cathartic vocals (man, that bridge).

And then there‰’s the video.

For starters, it is beautifully shot. Creative cinematography is always an attention getter, so this video draws you in from the first second. The attention to detail makes for a visually stunning video and an even better story. Continuity is the name of the game, my friends. I love that you can pause the video at any second and see a new scene, study it, and see exactly how it changes and what stays the same. Us literary nerds love us some symbolism, so thank you, salt rock lamp, for being there in every scene. Schneider shared in an Instagram post that said that the video took almost six months to create which definitely shows how much thought and dedication went into its making.

You are seeing one room and one person grow and mold in flashes which is something I have never seen done before. The video is not interesting because of its actions but because of its evolution. Everyone has seen two people fall in love, but not everyone has seen how one person falls in love over a lifetime. This is not a love story; this is the wonderful mess that comes with letting love into your life. That mess includes falling apart and being alone and watching the people you love leave you. And that‰’s when the tears start coming (I mean, I was getting some major Up vibes in the last minute of the video #feels).

This brings us back to the root of the song: navigating love in all its treachery and beauty. I love The Notebook as much as the next hopeless romantic, but sometimes you need a view of love you can truly relate to. Music, as a medium, has always been open to exposing the complicated emotion and showing its many forms which is why you can listen to Taylor Swift when you think about your crush and BeyoncÌ© when you want to tell that boy “bye.‰” Lucky for us, there‰’s always a love song around that fits our current mood. “Lights Down Low‰” is that video you watch over and over again on a Friday night when you are thinking about life and love and laying on your bed alone. But remember that you‰’re only a flash away from lying next to your true love.