Belaganas Examine the Life Cycle of a Relationship in '80s-Inspired "Nevermind It To Hell"
Alt hip-hop/bedroom pop group Belaganas take listeners to prom and fight to ignore doubt in the music video for their track, “Nevermind It To Hell.” The Phoenix-bred band, formed by co-frontman and vocalists Joey J and Shanker and drummer Nick Wille, push past doubt and history to embrace and jump into the next step of their lives on the racing and genuine single.
“Nevermind It To Hell” is an early-2000s punk-inspired single full of shimmering vocals that easily slide into a falsetto over the steady rumble of the bass as lush synths and drums crack underneath. The plush track reaches a pop-rock high in the chorus, as the vocals sing, “How can I hold it down If you don’t want me around, guess I’ll try to lose count of the times that I doubt."
"My favorite moment from ‘Nevermind It To Hell’ is Shanker’s pre-chorus,” shares vocalist Joey J. “The way the melody starts low and works up on the first two lines and the lyrics right there are so pivotal to the core of the song and so catchy at the same time.” He says that this part of the song feels like a point of self-reflection where you have to talk yourself into being okay with the person you love not treating you well. “I think that’s something everyone has felt before. Also, the way it drops in the chorus is so fun and makes you wanna dance.”
In the accompanying visual, the band acts as the main characters’ and listeners’ personal “prom band,” playing inside a white expanse, void of time and reality. “We were hanging out in my room listening to the song and decided together that it sounded like a song that would play in the climax of an '80s movie during the high school dance when the two main characters fall in love even after all the bullshit you just saw them go through together in the whole movie,” explains Joey. “I think we instantly decided that it only made sense for us to be the band that played the song and the music video really helped us build an aesthetic around the world of Softy with the ties and dress shirts. We wanted it to feel like a dreamscape movie sequence but show you all the good and the bad of a relationship you experience when you’re young.”
Alongside the band’s performance, viewers witness a young couple go through the life cycle of a passionate relationship, showing how sometimes, in love and life, it’s best to just live and let be and say “nevermind it to hell” to the bullshit. “The most challenging aspects [of the shoot] were that we shot this video during the holiday season, right at the last spike of all the COVID cases,” reveals the singer. “We had to reschedule about three times cause of either someone in the group having COVID or one of our actors, but when we were finally able to lock in a day that worked, we shot the whole video in one day. All the setbacks ended up helping the video come together smoothly but the first few weeks trying to lock everything in was extremely stressful.”
“Nevermind It To Hell” is just one track from the group’s carefully crafted EP Softy, which stands for Songs Originally for the Youth. It plays on the term used to talk down to someone, usually talking about love. The three songs encompass the urge to express one’s feelings in those scenarios, whether it hurts others’ feelings or vice versa. “I think everything we’ve done in the past has been more scattered directionally and more about hitting a single point than building a world for people to walk into,” says Joey. “'Nevermind’ fits perfectly into that introduction with the '80s synths and early 2000s rock feel to it to keep it upbeat but lets us get our feelings out in an inviting and relatable way."
He describes the track as a song that you sing and dance with all of your friends to after going through a breakup. ”..then take you out to a nightclub after to keep dancing to 'Delusional.’ 'If You Want It’ feels like that point in the night when you’re thinking back on those feelings but saying, “fuck it” I’m gonna finish out this night with my best friends, and life will go on after. The dope part is Softy is just the beginning of everything you’re about to feel.“
The band’s Softy era is another example of how multifaceted and ever-evolving the group has become. "We have a lot to say and a lot of noise to make on our upcoming music,” shares Joey J. “It’s definitely going to be a pivot from Softy sonically, but it will also give it more perspective for the fans who look deeper and are there for the full experience. We’re focused on putting out more than just music and videos; we want to tell full stories and shine lights on all the things we care about beyond art. So we can say that the next thing from us will be loud and full of raps.”
Watch the "Nevermind It To Hell" video below:
