Synopsis

ESP's "Serenade" unfolds as a colorful, highly stylized performance piece rather than a conventional narrative. The Los Angeles trio appears within a shifting studio world of saturated colors, graphic compositions, visual distortions, and carefully arranged tableaux. Images of the musicians and their instruments are repeatedly transformed through editing and electronic effects, creating a dreamlike, futuristic atmosphere. The video's retro-futurist presentation mirrors the song's synth-pop pulse while drawing strongly on the visual language of early Japanese electronic music.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video's concept is an explicit homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra, particularly the band's 1979 "Rydeen" video. It updates that early electronic-pop visual style with brighter colors and contemporary digital manipulation.

• The video premiered in August 2012, shortly before ESP released its self-titled debut EP on August 28, 2012. "Serenade" is the EP's third track.

• ESP was a Los Angeles-based Japanese-American trio made up of siblings Aska and Seiya Matsumiya and drummer Bobby Evans. The group's music and visuals were closely linked to its interest in extra-sensory perception, synths, unusual textures, and vivid color.

• The production was filmed at Atwater Crossing in Los Angeles. June Zandona handled cinematography, while Alex Pelly was responsible for editing and video art.

• Aska Matsumiya is listed among the video's production credits as associate producer, making the project a particularly direct collaboration between the band and its visual team.

• Contemporary coverage described the clip as "eye-popping" and kaleidoscopic, placing it within ESP's broader interest in hypercolored visuals and early-1980s electronic aesthetics.