Cistern’s new video for Pendulum is as wonderfully off-kilter as the song itself. Animated in stark black-and-white by Noah Varley, it feels like stepping into a surreal sketchbook that pulses and shifts with the jittery, high-wire energy of the track. The band describes Pendulum as a song about “seeking balance in a world that won’t let you achieve it,” and the video perfectly captures that teetering tension with its jagged, morphing shapes.
The track itself has this awkward, angular beauty—like it’s barely holding itself together but all the more striking for it. Cistern’s raw, DIY aesthetic shines through in every tremble and tape-warm groove, making their signature “strange realism” all the more compelling.
Catch them at London’s Shacklewell Arms in February for a live show that promises just as much scrappy charm and restless brilliance. If Pendulum is anything to go by, it’s going to be a wild ride. The bands new EP New Standard is out now on Meat Machine Records
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