Avie Sheck seeks an oasis in the desert with his captivating short film and EP Black $ummer — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Inspired by the Indian-American singer-songwriter and creative director’s love of visual albums, Black $ummer consists of the five music videos from the EP of the same name, with the lyrics for each song overlapping the film. Whilst all of the videos are edited with their own style, they are all seamlessly conjoined by a narrative of feeling lost and looking for a way out, a theme that remains consistent throughout. Predominantly filmed in Mojave Desert near L.A., the vast scenery amplifies the theme of isolation which was inspired by Avie’s move to Los Angeles during lockdown. Shot by Avie himself, impressively, most of the filming was done in one evening due to the location and resources running thin.
“Black $ummer is a short film I wanted to pair with the dark R&B EP I had been working on,” Avie says. “The music was almost like therapy because I was processing so much negative energy like losing my job, sick/deceased family members and running low on money and dreams. The story for the film came about during my move to Los Angeles from Houston. I felt like I was the pilot stuck in the desert searching for an oasis (in a locked down city and time/resources were running out). It was so tough to connect the dots since no one wanted to meet – I had to find the model on a dating app and I ended up shooting the film myself. All the hardships were worth it in the end.”
Sheck’s music encompasses a world-reaching approach. From his Thai and Japanese upbringing, to the classical Indian music his mother taught him, to his discovery of nu-metal and R&B/hip-hop, Avie’s sound flows freshly into today’s alternative pop and R&B music worlds.
Talking about what got him into music Avie says, “My mother is a classical indian musician/teacher and my sister is an R&B fanatic, so I’ve been into music as long as I can remember! Growing up, I was in several bands, hip-hop groups, and solo acts. Avie Sheck is my final form and I hope to create a large, diverse catalog of music!”
Avie’s EP Black $ummer’is a dark R&B project from the depths of Houston’s underground hip-hop scene. Beats are chopped and screwed in collaboration with producer and friend AlchemyOnThaBeat, and it has features from upcoming artists Jet the 3rd and Candle Joseph. Each song was produced, written and recorded in one day, from morning to late night, during different phases of the COVID-19 lockdown. Using the project as a form of therapy as they were processing so much negative energy like losing jobs, sick/deceased family members or running low on money and dreams. Black $ummer is the culmination of those energies turning into something incredibly positive.
Steeped in the dark rhythms and sonics of today, Avie’s music is of the future. Meticulously invented for a 21st-century audience, Avie offers dramatic production alongside mesmerising vocal creativity. His enthralling live shows, intimate songwriting, haunting voice and diverse instrumentation make him an artist to watch closely in 2022.
Watch Black $ummer above, listen to the EP on your favourite DSP HERE, and follow Avie Sheck on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
