Créme Jéan Hits The Streets In New Video For 'Atrophy'

Tāmaki Makaurau's Créme Jéan, aka the solo project of Brad Fafejta (Thousand Island, Brand New Math, DJ4EVA), has whipped out a bittersweet new clip for his song 'Atrophy', drawn from his dazzling debut solo album Créme Emporium. If you've ever woken up in the morning and gone "ooh jeez me back hurts," or gazed in the mirror just to see a haggard visage staring back, then you'll be able to identify with Créme Jéan's garage-pop reflection on time ticking onwards like sand through the hourglass. Filmed by Callum Devlin (Hans Pucket), the video depicts Créme Jéan cutting loose on an awesome portable cassette playing hybrid guitar, allowing him the freedom to bust out his tunes in the seemingly vacant streets of suburban Glen Eden. While he's a lonely figure in the clip, happily real life is a different story as Créme Jéan is prepping for a wig-flipping three date tour with his full live band of musical renegades, kicking off this weekend in Wellington and Auckland. Fafejta opened up about the circumstances behind the visuals...

"Atrophy was released in October last year. Because it's about geeettttiiiing older, we had decided to film me in a bald cap at the bowling club bar at the top of my street (I paid for membership and everything, and scheduled to film it the Saturday my baby was born oops). Production times meant it all fell apart and then it was super hard getting time to make it with a newborn and we totally missed the deadline.

Enter genius hot shot film maker Callum Devlin (Hans Pucket and like the Beths videos) who helped film me busking in my hometown/suburb Glen Eden a few months later with a pared backed, less ambitious video. One that arguably sells the ennui, miasma and malaise better with the same humour present in the song - A sad busker singing about his midlife crisis and the compromising choices he has made is served up far better as he also navigates whether to get a steak and cheese pie or a potato top for lunch.

It's also a homage to a very cool older friend of my parents from Glen Eden who passed away a few years ago and dressed in similar tones. He inspired 14 year old me with his little home studio (he lived alone in a sleep out and half of it was filled with instruments). He looked and sounded like Phil Collins and he made hearts swoon with Eagles covers at every childhood gathering."

Créme Jéan – Emporium Tourorium

Friday 26th July - Caroline, Wellington w/ Transistor
Saturday 27th July - The Wine Cellar, Auckland w/ A.C. Freazy + guests*
Saturday 3rd August - Space Academy, Christchurch w/ Kool Aid + guests*

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR*