Synopsis

Pollyn's "How Small We Are" is presented as a lively, hand-drawn animation set to the Los Angeles trio's atmospheric electro-pop. Simple stick figures twist, sway and groove across a shifting graphic landscape, their movements locked to the song's insistent bassline and percussion. The spare black-and-white figures gradually become a playful visual expression of the track's hypnotic energy, while the constantly changing drawings give the clip an offbeat, handmade character rather than a conventional performance narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in July 2011 as the first single from Pollyn's second full-length album, "Living in Patterns."

• Animation was contributed by Jody Barton, who was also known for creating the artwork associated with Phoenix's "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix."

• The clip's dancing stick figures were specifically noted for translating the song's feverish rhythm into a simple, graphic visual language.

• "How Small We Are" reflects Pollyn's interest in 1990s trip-hop, new wave and electronic music, while the song's propulsive groove was compared to Brian Eno's work with Talking Heads.

• A separate video was made for "How Small We Are (Nozinja's Shangaan Electro Version)." That collaboration featured South African artists Nozinja and Nurse Matlala, and was recorded in Soweto.