Thallo - Pressed and Preserved

Thallo – Pressed and Preserved | Video of the Week

This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. Today’s video is ‘Pressed and Preserved’ by Thallo.

It’s the first video of the week in 2022! We’ve got plenty of good stuff to come, and to kick things off we’re taking a look at the surreally beautiful music video for ‘Pressed and Preserved’ from Thallo. A track seeping with haunting ambience, Thallo has matched her ethereal track with a video positioned as a modern take on the gothic genre.

The video portrays a frenzied woman living amidst a beautiful but shabby manor house. With a plethora of classical gothic themes and tropes, we see the woman slowly descend into madness and, ultimately, an untimely death. Complete with a soft-focus haze and a pastel colour palette, this is a music video well matched to Thallo’s dream-like sound and mournful subject matter.

The song comes as a companion piece to Thallo’s previous single ‘The Water’, and makes an analogous comparison between the natural life cycle of flowers, comparing their fleeting beauty – through blooming to fading – with the cycles of love and affection. The song ultimately compares memories of lost love to that of pressed flowers, preserved and delicate but no longer alive in the present moment.

Speaking on the music video to go with the song, Thallo said: “I remember giving these pressed flowers to a person as a farewell gift and only in hindsight did I see the irony. Because sure, there’s a beauty in the fact it’s preserved, but there’s also a real sadness as it’s no longer with you in the form you once loved.”

You can watch the video for ‘Pressed and Preserved’ from Thallo below.

You can also stream ‘Pressed and Preserved’ from Thallo on Spotify by clicking here.