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[Exclusive] A Behind-the-Scenes Look at MS MR's "Painted"

"What did you think would happen?" Is the question at the heart of Tabitha Denholm's music video for the New York-based duo.
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It's been long-mythologized (and even put to the test) but never proven: the effect of music on plant growth. But regardless of whether or not you believe that blasting death metal will make your ficus grow faster, it's a fascinating jumping-off point for a narrative. Case in point: "Painted" the new music video for New York-based two-piece, MS MR.

Directed by Tabitha Denholm, who in the past has directed videos for HAIM, Jessie J, Louis Vuitton, and more, "Painted," which was released as a single on April 6 (Columbia Records), and had its music video premiere on May 28, features Lizzy Plapinger (the band's "MS") and Max Hershenow ("MR") in a scientific-looking setting, using their brainwaves to project a hologram performance onto a stage surrounded by plants. "The idea is that we're in this laboratory setup and MS MR are conjuring up what happens on stage with their minds," Denholm explains in the exclusive behind-the-scenes clip above, which premieres on The Creators Project Today.

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"It's a complicated song because it has such a sort of darkness to it, but ultimately has got a perseverence," says Plapinger. "We like the idea of really hanging mostly on this line from the song, which is 'What did you think would happen when you put me in unnatural space?'" Of course it's within this very space that the unnatural takes place—beakers break, flowers bloom, and the answer to Plapinger's persistent question gets ever-closer into focus.

See for yourself in the behind-the-scenes clip above, and in the official "Painted" music video below:

"Painted" is off MS MR's forthcoming album, How Does It Feel, out on Columbia Records on July 17, 2015. Order your copy of the "Painted" single on iTunes.

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