California’s New Beat Fund (NBF) are a west coast alternative band comprised of Jeffery Laliberte, Paul Laliberte, and Shelby Archer. With the trio writing and self-producing each track, their unpredictably unique take on pop music is charactistic in every one of their songs. Following their debut “Sponge Fingerz” and lead single “No Type” the band would secure opening tour slots with Blink 182, AWOLNATION, & Dirty Heads, national radio airplay, worldwide playlists, and major festivals across the US. 2018’s release “Chillanthropy” produced collaborative efforts alongside close friends The Driver Era and DJ duo Two Friends, both of which have earned them critical acclaim and a cult following.
After opening a studio at the legendary Sound City Studio Center—Nirvana, RHCP, Bob Dylan, Death Cab For Cutie, Fall Out Boy— in 2018 and producing under the moniker “The Fund” they’ve been working with upcoming acts for more than 2 years on a range of styles from alternative, pop, soul, R&B, dance, and even country. “We stopped touring about 3 years ago and it turns out that moving into a studio direction held a bit of foresight to the current state of the world. In quarantine, we’ve written and recorded full albums and we are very excited to share all of these new projects in 2021.” However, that did not stop NBF from writing and producing original music, instead it inspired them to take different approach to creating. The first single “Look What’ve You’ve Done” features an original music work mashed with veteran goth rockers AFI’s “The Lost Souls”. “AFI are a huge inspiration to us and somehow a piece of music we loved so much growing up has blossomed into a new musical landscape through our creative filter.” Not only is the song a proper homage to their musical roots, but it became the sonic template for the new material.
While undergoing many lifestyle changes to better the mental and physical stability of the band, they have welcomed a new chapter that has shifted their sound and approach to creating. “Look What You’ve Done” is our focal point sonically for all the new material we are currently working on. Minimalism, negative space, simplicity, and abstraction have led us to an unexpected musical and lyrical point of view.”
The track is accompanied by a stunning video, directed by South Korean film maker Dawn Suhyun Shim. Inspired by the classic film “The Seventh Seal” *(1957) the video experiments with visual elements to express imperfection. Three lifeless characters stuck in a moment draw a parallel between themselves and mythical creature. “I was drawn to that struggle we all fight internally when I heard “Look What You’ve Done” for the first time.” The post production however occurred during the heat of the pandemic, with Dawn returning home in South Korea and NBF locked down in Los Angeles— the video was sent back and forth across the world until a final edit was achieved.
Looking forward, 2021 is shaping up to be a very promising year for the trio. While they are hard at work putting the final touches on the next NBF album—due spring 2021—The Fund are gearing up for their first major releases as songwriters and producers.
Director Bio:
Dawn Suhyun Shim was born in South Korea. Dawn developed her love for photography in her early age. After a childhood spent traveling around Southeast Asia and Europe, Dawn decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue her dream to work in film. There were benefits to being immersed in Eastern and Western cultures; they strongly included in her life. The influence in her cultural interactions developed of her visual senses. Since graduating from American Film Institute conservatory’s cinematography masters program, Dawn has worked as a freelance director and cinematographer for a wide range of projects - feature films, commercials and music videos.
About the Video (Dawn Shim):
I am interested in creating a visual about struggling with something emotional. When I first listened to the song “Look What You’ve Done”, I was drawn to the inner struggle which I know has to do with the theme of the video.
The video is a cinematic vignette through experimenting with the visual elements to express imperfection. Three lifeless characters stuck in a moment draw a parallel between themselves and a mythical figure. Jeff is mounted in the water looking out to the horizon, Paul is buried in the sand gazing at the sky and Shelby is stuck in his own reflection.
The first reference I brought to the artist was the iconic scene from The Seventh Seal (1957). The film opens with the knight on the beach playing chess by himself. Soon, Death appears announcing the knight is to die. Trying to outsmart Death, the knight challenges Death to a game of chess.
Like Death confronting the knight, the mythical figure confronts three lifeless characters but in a curious way. The mythical figure feels great sympathy and releases them by connecting the three characters. In a chess game, pieces must keep moving. Similarly, life keeps moving whether or not you are feeling stuck. In an an effort to emphasize the feeling when you are stuck in a place but things around you keep on moving fast, we experimented with an in-camera shutter effect. The motion blur aids in both the illusion of time and the feeling of isolation.
When we see someone looking at their own reflection, we interpreted that a person’s soul is contained in their reflection. The mirror expresses a feeling of ambiguity, though when he finds his reflection it’s revealed as more of a distortion.
The most fun part of working on this project was the conceptualization of it. Everything from coming up with an idea, experimenting with visual elements, to having the opportunity to express ourselves; the whole process was a fun collaborating process between both art and music. We refined our artistry and expanded the reach with each other.
Video Credit:
Written & Directed by Dawn Suhyun Shim
Produced by Shelby Archer, Jeff Laliberte, Paul Laliberte
Starring Renee Rose
Cinematographer - Dawn Suhyun Shim
1st AC - Ben Hecht, Mike Mori
Gaffer - Ben Hecht
Editors - Paul Laliberte, Dawn Suhyun Shim
VFX - Paul Laliberte
Graphic Design - Jeff Laliberte
Hair/Make up - Jess Loveall
Costume Designer - Sigmund Aberin
Song Credits:
Lyrics by Davey Havoc
Music by Jeffrey Laliberte, Paul Laliberte, Shelby Archer
Produced by The Fund