Few modern pop singles come as inspired and thought out as Alice the G00n’s “CYA”. Listeners responded by catapulting the track to #2 on the Mediabase Top 40 Independent Artist chart, and the video will bring the cut renewed attention. “CYA” richly deserves such success when taking stock of its well-rounded presentation and direct lyrics. Alice wears assorted hats to make this work, director and performer among them, but aligning herself with a bevy of talented industry professionals helps realize the video’s potential.
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Among those professionals are Stunt Coordinator Frank Trigg, respected for his contributions to such programming as The Book of Boba Fett, and Assistant Stunt Coordinator Samantha Epstein, another contributor to The Book of Boba Fett, among other productions. One of their primary tasks was to help Alice the G00n translate her real-life martial arts background onto the screen without harming her co-stars in the video. They found her to be a ready pupil. It never looks as if Alice is doing anything short of completely laying waste to her enemies throughout the video for “CYA” and the physicality is one of the clip’s greatest strengths.
Another of its strengths is the unwavering heartbeat driving much of the song. It gives listeners an anchor upon which they can hinge, but the song is far from one note. Alice the G00n orchestrates the performance in such a way that there is a rising and falling that hooks listeners early on. It follows a steady trajectory for the song’s entirety and proves to be one of the most satisfying elements of the track.
The video mimics those dynamics. There’s a gradual progression as Alice moves from one floor to the next and a gradual mounting violence as she does. By the time she reaches the executive level, announced to viewers with humor, listeners are primed for the video’s climatic confrontation. The abiding contrast between the low-watt simmer of rage fueling “CYA” lyrically and vocally compared with the stylishly over-the-top violence of the clip will be a selling point for many viewers.
I find it to be one of the best selling points of the entire package. Alice the G00n has crafted something unique with the confluence of this track and her new video. It isn’t a paint-by-numbers riff on anything you’ve seen before, but it does take familiar elements and synthesizes them into something novel and reflective of the song’s performer. Her passion is real, and she embodies it well throughout this clip. She creates a genuine desire to see what happens next.
Existing fans will swear by her even more after seeing the video, while newcomers will be instant converts. “CYA” may not break new ground in film technique, it’s thoroughly professional, however, and pushes Alice the G00n’s art into previously unexplored areas. She’s found her footing as director which expands her ever-growing skillset. I’ve watched this video multiple times and find something previously unseen with each new viewing. I’m sure you will as well and keep coming back for more.
Chadwick Easton