Two years ago Gabriel Black appeared online as a crayola cartoon character on the cover art of ‘sad boy’, and since then the mysterious Pennsylvanian artist has continued to release music under this animated guise. We’ve been patient and loyal here at TMR, praising ‘Jump’ from the Beautiful Life EP and his more recent collaboration with singer Phem on ‘Dead Yet’. As has already been given away by the image alongside these words, Gabriel Black the cartoon has switched places with the real, living and breathing musician. This dramatic unveiling comes packaged in a music video directed by Hunter Lyon. It perfectly depicts the essence of ‘Dead Yet’: the pointless parties, the repetitive lifestyle, the lost passion of a relationship. In ways, the video also translates Black’s animations with extra-real metaphors of flying a cardboard rocket and cosying up in a coffin. Towards the end of the video, all this claustrophobic sameness is contrasted against the wild freedom of prairie horses. Both Gabriel Black and Phem’s performance is perfectly passive towards their environment, singing that timeless line “im just a dog chasing rabbits in the sky.” We sincerely hope this isn’t the last we’re seeing of Gabriel Black’s beautiful face. - Hannah Thacker