Sydney singer-songwriter Justin Stewart Cotta has had a pretty busy 2020, surprising fans with a slew of singles and older tracks back at the beginning of the year. Now he’s back with his punchy and empowering new single “Longing Is Not Love”. Today we’re stoked to bring you the exclusive premiere of the single’s music video.
A singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist, Cotta has lived many lives as a musician. He was a founding member of Memento, the guitarist and keyboardist for Vast, and has toured Europe and the US with Queens of the Stone Age, Marilyn Manson and Ozzy Osbourne. So fair to say Cotta’s back catalogue errs on the heavier and darker side. “Longing Is Not Love”, then, is a step away from that. It’s as he describes it an attempt at creative growth, and to answer the question, “Am I willing to express and share my joy? Am I willing to risk being happy? Am I willing to be vulnerable in a different way?”
This vulnerability is explored neatly within the accompanying video, with Cotta quite literally putting himself out there practically unfiltered. Directed by Shane Kavanagh, the video features Cotta with only some furniture and a guitar for company. Meanwhile, the simple and stark white background really serves to focus the viewers attention on Cotta and his performance. And, in spite, of the clip’s sparseness of trappings, it captures the song’s energy and vibe nicely.
This is what he had to say about the video:
“Just about everything I own is in this video… a chair, a rug and a guitar. Actually, the furniture is my partner’s. As someone who typically identifies as a night owl, it was really confronting to shoot in an infinite white space. But, it brought out a real honesty in the shoot. There was nowhere to hide. No gadgets, no tricks. For me that not only compliments the analogue spirit of the recording, but hopefully it also creates room to connect with the lyrics.”
“Longing Is Not Love” is out now. You can keep up to date with Justin Stewart Cotta via Facebook and Instagram.
