"Hostage"

10 October 2018

3 mins 54s

Hostage

The slow smoulder of 'Hostage' is complemented by Henry Schofield's minimalist promo. In a white room, a young woman dreams of keeping her guy close at all times; she would crawl into his veins if she could.

This young woman - Californian singer-songwriter Billy Eilish - is only 16, but she already has an accomplished pop album out, and her self-assurance is beautifully demonstrated here.

The room's design neatly suggests that it exists only in her mind... there is nothing in it which doesn't serve a purpose or distracts from the focus of the song. Its unremitting whiteness is a blank canvas onto which she can project her emotions, yet keep them contained and without consequence.

The couple are also in white; their loose-fitting clothes vaguely suggestive of hospital garb. Is this to imply she is unhinged by her crush and not as in charge of her world as she thinks? Possibly. Either way, it takes them out of the everyday and isolates them.

But the neat trick here is that while Matty Peacock's choreography shows Eilish exploring her feelings towards her captive, their intensity is such that the very walls reach out and possess him. It's a simple but effective device, and the whole clip does a great job of communicating that all-consuming obsession of first love.

UK

Promos