Everyone's had a moment here or there where they've dreamt of living in Los Angeles––just packing it all up and going somewhere where it's actually sunny and actually cool and you can actually do something with your life––but very few people actually go for it. Gabriella Cohen actually did it! After releasing her excellent debut album Full Closure & No Details a couple of years ago, Cohen and regular collaborator Kate Dillon moved to L.A. to live and work for a while.While most of Cohen's upcoming album Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love, out June 1st on Captured Tracks (USA)/Remote Control (AU/NZ), was recorded in country Victoria, "Music Machine", the record's opener, got a video treatment heavily inspired by Cohen and Dillon's time in LA. Cohen's directorial debut, the clip finds model Yasmin Langlois strutting around a very L.A.-looking Sunshine Coast, basically just living an exaggerated version of what an Aussie might dream life could be like in the City of Angels. Watch the video above, and read our interview with Cohen about the clip below:Noisey: After spending some time in Brisbane and Melbourne you went to North America for a while to do the new record. Why the move?
Gabriella Cohen: I lived in Brisbane for 6 years before moving to Melbourne for one year exactly. The plan was always Melbourne for a year and then America. Kate and I, after a few U.S tours moved to L.A last year for a few months. It’s inspiring to be around people that are at the top of their game. The majority of the record, however, was recorded in Seymour, Victoria, in a farmhouse, early 2017 before we moved.How did you find it over there?
I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed collaborating and meeting with people that I wouldn’t get to if I had stayed in Australia. It’s literally planting yourself in the centre of the arts. Fantastic! We had a really wholesome and productive time, believe it or not, in the city of angels.“Music Machine” is all about the US and this idea of kinda ‘making it’ over there, and it also touches on these ideas of getting sucked up into the music industry, What inspired it?
I wrote it when I had just come back from our 2016 U.S tour, and found myself down and out in Melbourne’s West Brunswick suburbia, on my friends couch, longing for the countryside. I would sit in the backyard, a tiny patch of green and freak myself out about all the little backyards and all the little fences and yadda yadda. It’s just about the fickleness of the music industry, and how one dimensional it can be when it’s presented to you over a screen.How did you meet Yasmin Langlois, who stars in the video?
Yasmin is a dear friend of mine, but she also happens to be the younger sister of one of my treasured people, Irie Langlois. Yasmin is an absolute pleasure to work with; an asset to anyones project. She is moving to L.A in a few months to study acting and no doubt the city will eat her up.Why did you choose to pursue this quite luxe, kinda Californian aesthetic for the video?
Well originally I was gong to film this in L.A, but we ran out of time. I wanted to mirror the ‘glam/ luxurious’ aesthetic that is spoon fed to our generation constantly through media to 1. Fulfil my childhood MTV dreams and 2. Play on this concept of OTT fame and sex appeal because, lets be honest, it’s eye candy.But it’s filmed in Australia. How did you achieve the look you wanted?
Queensland is blessed with some beautiful places, one being the Sunshine Coast, where we shot the video. The costume and styling and art direction was done by the one and only Lily Castel, who worked tirelessly to make these incredible costumes you see. I was also lucky to work with the brilliant cinematographer Audra Murray.How did directing the video change the way you thought about the song?
I’ve always preferred to direct as I’m not yet a fully fledged actor/musician/dancer like some of the blessed performers on this earth. I guess it sexed it up a lot. Which is great. Smoke and mirrors, baby.This record has this kinda 60s girl group sound, in comparison to the first record, which was often a straight rock record. Why is that?
I’ve always warmed to girl groups vocals, it has a sugar coated flavour to it and makes people feel nostalgic and content in some way.Why the title Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love?
It is a personal affinity I have with the colour pink… it is the colour of my unconditional love and not something I can explain really. It’s a feeling. Gabriella Cohen's Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love is out June 1st via Remote Control/Captured Tracks. Follow Noisey on Twitter.
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Gabriella Cohen: I lived in Brisbane for 6 years before moving to Melbourne for one year exactly. The plan was always Melbourne for a year and then America. Kate and I, after a few U.S tours moved to L.A last year for a few months. It’s inspiring to be around people that are at the top of their game. The majority of the record, however, was recorded in Seymour, Victoria, in a farmhouse, early 2017 before we moved.How did you find it over there?
I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed collaborating and meeting with people that I wouldn’t get to if I had stayed in Australia. It’s literally planting yourself in the centre of the arts. Fantastic! We had a really wholesome and productive time, believe it or not, in the city of angels.
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I wrote it when I had just come back from our 2016 U.S tour, and found myself down and out in Melbourne’s West Brunswick suburbia, on my friends couch, longing for the countryside. I would sit in the backyard, a tiny patch of green and freak myself out about all the little backyards and all the little fences and yadda yadda. It’s just about the fickleness of the music industry, and how one dimensional it can be when it’s presented to you over a screen.How did you meet Yasmin Langlois, who stars in the video?
Yasmin is a dear friend of mine, but she also happens to be the younger sister of one of my treasured people, Irie Langlois. Yasmin is an absolute pleasure to work with; an asset to anyones project. She is moving to L.A in a few months to study acting and no doubt the city will eat her up.Why did you choose to pursue this quite luxe, kinda Californian aesthetic for the video?
Well originally I was gong to film this in L.A, but we ran out of time. I wanted to mirror the ‘glam/ luxurious’ aesthetic that is spoon fed to our generation constantly through media to 1. Fulfil my childhood MTV dreams and 2. Play on this concept of OTT fame and sex appeal because, lets be honest, it’s eye candy.But it’s filmed in Australia. How did you achieve the look you wanted?
Queensland is blessed with some beautiful places, one being the Sunshine Coast, where we shot the video. The costume and styling and art direction was done by the one and only Lily Castel, who worked tirelessly to make these incredible costumes you see. I was also lucky to work with the brilliant cinematographer Audra Murray.How did directing the video change the way you thought about the song?
I’ve always preferred to direct as I’m not yet a fully fledged actor/musician/dancer like some of the blessed performers on this earth. I guess it sexed it up a lot. Which is great. Smoke and mirrors, baby.This record has this kinda 60s girl group sound, in comparison to the first record, which was often a straight rock record. Why is that?
I’ve always warmed to girl groups vocals, it has a sugar coated flavour to it and makes people feel nostalgic and content in some way.Why the title Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love?
It is a personal affinity I have with the colour pink… it is the colour of my unconditional love and not something I can explain really. It’s a feeling. Gabriella Cohen's Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love is out June 1st via Remote Control/Captured Tracks. Follow Noisey on Twitter.