Synopsis
No Joy's "Hawaii" unfolds as a hazy, physical rush of bodies, landscape and texture. Young adults run, play and tumble through muddy outdoor spaces, gradually covering themselves in dirt, paint and sludge. The imagery moves between intimate close-ups, fragmented gestures and wider scenes of uninhibited movement, creating a dreamlike portrait of youth, desire and release. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video mirrors the song's dense shoegaze sound with restless editing, shallow focus and a raw, almost tactile visual style.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Hawaii" was the lead single from No Joy's debut album, "Ghost Blonde," released through Mexican Summer.
- The video was presented as mildly NSFW because of its nudity, although contemporary coverage emphasized that the imagery was more impressionistic than explicit.
- Its visual language relies heavily on angled framing, shallow focus, dirt, paint and sludge, giving the clip a deliberately degraded, handmade appearance.
- DMY compared the video's private, uninhibited mood to the photography of Ryan McGinley, whose work often explores youthful freedom, nudity and outdoor exploration.
- The clip appeared online in late 2010, ahead of the single's spring 2011 UK release.
- Styling and casting were handled by Mila Franovic.
- Exclaim! included "Hawaii" among its top Canadian music videos of 2010 and also placed it on a separate list of the year's top NSFW videos.
- The UK 7-inch single paired "Hawaii" with a remix of "Indigo Child" by Stereolab's Tim Gane.