Canadian‑British synth artist Soft Riot, now based in Glasgow (UK), presents a striking new music video for “Ghostwriter”, the latest visual chapter from his full‑length album Crux, released in May via Possession Records. Steeped in 80s new‑wave aesthetics and graphic surrealism, the video offers a vivid counterpart to one of the album’s standout tracks.
“Ghostwriter” marks the second official promo video from Crux, following the April premiere of the album’s opening track “Moving Out Of The Black”, unveiled just ahead of the record’s 15 May release. As with much of Soft Riot’s visual output, the new video is a meticulously crafted piece: all graphics and editing handled by JJD, with animations created largely by hand using physically printed materials. Background textures and visual layers were projected, filmed, and re‑filmed to achieve the video’s analogue, dreamlike quality.
Soft Riot explains the process behind the work: “The video for ‘Ghostwriter’ took a while to set up and plan — I had hoped to finish it a month or two earlier, but promoting the new Crux and Alter releases, along with everything else in my life outside of being ‘Soft Riot’, pushed the timeline. Sometimes the planning stage takes the most time. The video can be viewed on two levels: the obvious surface of what the viewer sees, and a more graphic, surrealist collage — quite different from the performance‑based videos that dominate the genre.”
Crux stands as the latest evolution in Soft Riot’s fifteen‑year journey through synthesizer‑driven post‑punk. Across dozens of releases and regular European tours, JJD has carved out a distinctive sonic identity that blends darkwave, new wave, post‑punk, italo, and EBM influences. His work often evokes the spirit of Fad Gadget, Prince, early Simple Minds, Skinny Puppy, Bill Nelson, and the current wave of underground synth artists — yet remains unmistakably his own.
With “Ghostwriter”, Soft Riot continues to expand the visual and conceptual world of Crux, offering a piece that is both nostalgic and forward‑thinking, tactile and surreal — a reminder of the unique space he occupies within the modern synth underground. Link
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"There's much more detail in our music now than 20 years ago. It's also much easier nowadays because you can do many things at home." - Morten Lybecker
"It's about humans; we are the high parasites. We feast on the earth and on all the things that the earth gives us. We don't just take a little bit, we take everything." - Aaron Stainthorpe
"I always wanted to express my emotions with my music, and this is what I do. And I think true music lovers feel when music is coming from the heart." - Tilo Wolff
"We're really into oxymorons and that sort of thing. Years and years ago, we came up with this idea—well, we didn't invent it, but we called it "happy sad"." - Matt James
