The Art of Visualization: UMI's immersive 2020 EP “Introspection” release
By Neeka Boroumandi
Visualization is a pivotal part of music. Whether the visuals are produced live in a concert or through a storytelling video, they bring another compelling element that makes the music itself more substantial. In a time where live concerts are suddenly not possible, the importance of visual albums is even more so apparent than before.
Visual albums are nothing new; from “Lemonade” by Beyonce to “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles, these immersive albums have created a space where artists are able to show the listener exactly what they want them to see when hearing their music. As a global pandemic has changed music, they have taken on a new relevance: replacing the void left for immservie music experiences.
During quarantine, as I was laying in bed one night being sad about concerts not being able to return until who knows when, I found out one of my favorite artists, UMI, put out her EP, “Introspection”, which to my surprise had a film that was included with the album itself. The agony of not being able to see her live this year was alleviated by the news of a visual EP.
The visual film starts off with UMI peacefully humming the intro of her song “Introspection” as people are talking in the background. The humming then bleeds into the official “Introspection” song starting. We start to see a nostalgia-induced party visual with lights changing and the camera zooming in and out giving you a feeling of euphoria. The song then gets muted and distorted as UMI is dancing to add a trippy effect. Something about UMI’s presence invites the listener in and makes them feel as if they are a part of the party.
The party scene continues; however, the song is in complete contrast with the visual because it’s about the anxiety of not being good enough and overthinking while being surrounded by friends. UMI’s voice then slowly begins to bleed through as she is talking to her friend about seeing the world through different people’s eyes. The film then focuses on UMI as she begins to talk to her friend about the concept of how you can be the main character in your own life but a background character in other people's life, which to her that is what introspection means. A very interesting thing to take into account, about how you never know what someone may be going through. This, inturn sets the stage for the rest of the visual album.
Something that stands out visually is how while the scene continues to carry on by switching to a new character in the party, the background noise starts up the next song of the EP which is “Open up.” It highlights the simplistic way that they incorporated every single song to perfectly bleed through the storyline but also not take away from the story. As the song becomes the forefront of the scene that new character clearly looks upset while he is texting an apology to someone as the lyrics “ I didn’t mean to break your trust” plays. This scene is in sync with the song, “Open up” because the song is about UMI’s insecurities about not being able to truly open up to people so you mess up because you do not feel as if you are worthy of love. You can sense the character is regretful which is what I personally feel when I hear this song. The song then keeps getting distorted while the guy gets into the car and lip syncs the song because he is hurt. A relatable visual that we can all empathize with.
Ty, a new character, is still at the party and ends up running into his ex girlfriend and they awkwardly talk. I can almost feel the vicarious embarrassment on my end as she begins to leave him. He then starts to smoke as the song “Where I wander” soon plays while flashbacks of their past relationship come up to showcase him thinking of them.These intimate flashbacks add to the element of the song in looking back at the happy times of their relationship.The song has such a nostalgic feel yet it looks forward to the future. At the end of the song, It then slowly shifts to the girl’s perspective of that same relationship but this time it shows the negative aspects. The song “Bet” then begins to play, shifting in tone and then showing new flashbacks of the couple fighting through a moving door. The symbolism of having a closed door between them and her walking away from it gives the impression that this part of the chapter is over for good. This visualization really captured the clear difference between how each person can view their relationship differently after it ends.
The visuals slowly begin to get lighter as “Pretty girl hi” starts to play as a flute-like sound begins while it shows UMI running around in nature and spinning with the camera adding a bubbly, joyous feeling in contrast to the heavy energy in the previous song.The visuals during this song add a peaceful, calming ambience to the music. Your eyes are drawn into the new setting and are thus able to let loose for a while. This visualization matches the confident lyrics of the track and the airyness of the song makes the visuals feel weightless.
“Broken Bottle” soon plays and there is a tone shift in the scene. It shows all the characters upset while the lighting is dark and eerie. The song continues to bring the setting alive. The idea of not saying what you wanted to say is shown not only through the music but in the emotions of that scene. Everyone seems so regretful and hurt. The scene echoes both defeat and heartbreak by showing the way in how different people cope after losing someone they care about. Her voice on this track is sadder and more hurt; It is symbolic of a final moment of letting go.
The ending of “Broken Bottles” continues to play as the party for the night starts back up. UMI is again dancing when suddenly we get taken back to the exact beginning scene of when UMI is talking about Introspection. Thus, completing the circle by coming back to the very first scene which makes not only the story of the album complete but the entirety of the EP.
This indulged me and allowed me to be able to obtain another immersive experience with the music and storytelling -- an element that solely the music would not be able to fulfill. It was interesting to see how UMI intended this EP to be from other people’s different points of view instead of solely her own. It felt like this visual element brought the EP to life in a way the music alone could not do. UMI’s work can give us that relatability by showing us this story through the visuals. Not only do we feel it but we can actually see it happening.
Visual albums are a powerful tool by helping one understand the music more and be more in tune with the environment that the music creates. It can play on factors such as nostalgia, regret, guilt, self-consciousness, and many other emotions.
The potential that visual albums have nowadays are far reaching. People want to actually see the elements that come with the music. We want to see the storyline and feel the emotions that come with it visually. A huge visual album that came out this summer as well that caught the attention of many is “Black is King” with its insanely renowned visuals. I could not take my eyes off the screen while watching the visuals that Beyonce illustrated. It is an emotion that solely music cannot do on its own.