VIDEO: Gus Dapperton Shares Video For 'First Aid'

Last month Gus Dapperton released his sophomore album Orca, consisting of 10 songs written and produced by Dapperton with mixing by Spike Stent (Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Beyonce) and named by Uproxx as one of their most anticipated records of the Fall. Today he shares the video he directed for the album’s lead single “First Aid,” a track that tackles the internal pain a person can experience in isolation but also hints at appreciating the ones you love. The video, filmed at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, features Gus’s sister Amadelle who sings on the track and is framed as the subject as Gus sings “I would slit his wrists and reminisce it /if it wasn't for my sis /she's got heart the size of I-95 /I drive.” 

Watch the video!

Gus says of the video, “This video was definitely a passion project. From the inception of this idea it's taken us about a year to finally finish it. I'm so thankful for the team that worked with us on this and so thankful we were able to accomplish this idea during covid.”

The standout singles of Orca are comprised of “Medicine,” a somber, yet powerful piano-led track, “Post Humorous,” the major pop melody with devastating lyrics, “First Aid,” a song centered around themes of perceived isolation, and the swagger-filled and bright “Bluebird.”

If you’ve followed the 23-year-old’s career from the bright and charming early singles and EPs to 2018’s full-length album Where Polly People Go to Read, you’ll have recognized that the singer-songwriter-producer has entered new territory here. The new album explores human pain and suffering, but also healing and redemption. Dapperton began writing Orca while on tour in 2018, exhilarated by performing for fans and first-time listeners in countries he’d never visited before, but feeling the stresses of the road as well. “I was unbalanced,” he recalls. “My lifestyle and habits had gotten extreme. I wasn’t getting eight hours of sleep a night, I was drinking and doing drugs often. Wasn’t eating healthy. And on top of it, I was performing. A show can be the most inspirational, emotional high; but if something goes wrong it can be devastating.”

Those precipitous highs and lows, and the desire for home, took Gus to dark places—even if it wasn’t obvious to those around him. One of the nastier aspects of depression is how it sabotages and dismantles connection; you’re alone in your head, feeling unable to communicate what you’re going through, and if you’re a young, physically healthy person the folks around you won’t necessarily see what’s afflicting you.

Gus’s creative decisions in pursuit of a raw sound to match these raw emotions didn’t come easily. “I’m a huge advocate for putting myself in vulnerable positions in my music,” he says but admits that confronting these feelings “was a chance to be open that I was afraid of.” But he pushed himself and, with the help of his friends and family, came out on the other side stronger. “It was cathartic to put these emotions into music,” he says.

Gus Dapperton first exploded on scene in 2016 as a singer, songwriter, and vibe maestro who invites you to take up residence deep inside of his subconscious. He released songs straight from his upstate NY bedroom like “Prune, You Talk Funny” and “I’m Just Snacking.” He soon followed up with the 2018 release of Where Polly People Go To Read, showcasing Dapperton’s talent for melodies and lyrical whimsy with tracks like the drama-filled “World Class Cinema”, the slow-tempo aquatic love song “My Favorite Fish,” and r&b-tinged “Fill Me Up Anthem”. World tours followed, playing numerous sold out shows and further honing his skills that he brought to the making of album number two. More recently you can find Gus’s distinct vocals on BENEE’s viral hit “Supalonely,” which currently is taking TikTok by storm, and performing with the New Zealand singer on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen Degeneres Show.

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