The South African Music Video Everyone Is Talking About

SPEAKER_01 0:46

You know, when did you guys come to the realization that actually it's actually dire at the moment? I hate to be topical, but I guess uh musicians using AI to develop uh their own posters for shows and stuff, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Just joking. How's it going, ladies and gentlemen? It's Nasi P is one is my surname. I'm the founder of Sledge and Gone Podcast, and uh today I've got two of the guys from Raptor Baby. We are gonna be talking about their brand new release, uh, something that they actually released uh last week Friday, so a few days ago, actually. Uh, when we're looking at the time of you know the airing of this episode. So I'm really excited to have the guys here to talk a bit more about the track, the music video, and all of the above. Uh, guys, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah, going sick, man. We're uh we're pretty stoked with how things are going so far. Uh well, introductions first, right? Uh so Vince Focalist from Raptor Baby.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Um, Sean, I play bass, and I've I've also started recently doing backup vocals.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Uh obviously you guys dropped a brand new track, uh The Omnificence, which is absolutely brilliant. Perhaps you guys can tell us a bit more about the concept, how you guys sort of came up with it behind the scenes, and we can take it from there.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

So, I mean, in the in the current day and age that we're living in, right, like AI is becoming more and more of a prominent feature in our daily lives. And there's you know, there's quite a few books that talk about like the merging coming towards like the singularity of the human race and machines in general. And yeah, generally I feel like we're getting closer, closer to that point every single day. And uh this song is it's nine minutes long, but also broken into two segments in the point of like where we have developed technology so far that we have now become God, right? And that we have now taken over the control of what we can create and what we can put onto this world sort of thing. And then the second half of the song is more like the degradation of that fact where we are now no longer in control of the thing we've created, and the thought is that we have destroyed God, where there's nothing left to turn to. It's not even like a Christian or religious-based song in any sense. It's just like the the notion and the concept behind it, if that makes sense, that we are we're creating something that eventually we will lose control of in the long run.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

What was that point where you felt like you know you came to the realization that hang on, you know, this whole you know thing that is happening right now with AI and you know, playing God and everything that is, you know, when did you guys come to the realization that actually it's actually dire at the moment and you know, which basically sparked the birth of you know the song as we as we know it right now?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

I hate to be topical, but I guess uh musicians using AI to develop uh their own posters for shows and stuff, right? Just joke. Um yeah, I mean it's it's looming, right? It's uh it's it's no one can deny that it's not part of your everyday, especially if you work in a corporate environment. Like, you know, it's it's if you're not versed in the language, like you're gonna get left behind to the point where you know there's been chats about universal basic income and the point of like where humans will have the option to work and not necessarily be forced to work to have an income. But I mean, where do we then hold on to what makes us human, what keeps us human, you know, like that's that divide.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Yeah, it's it's obviously like a nine-minute song. And as I said, as someone like myself, you know, who loves brilliant looking visuals and obviously the message behind the song, is this something that you guys feel like you know your audience could also just appreciate? It being a nine-minute song. The reason why I'm asking this is because obviously, you know, along with AI, we are sort of at an age now where you know attention spans aren't really the greatest, you know, because of you know social media and things like TikTok and everything like that. People tend to, you know, want to consume something really quick. And then, you know, Raptor Baby comes 2026, and they're giving us a nine-minute song, which is something brilliant for someone like myself. As I say, I could sit through and listen to it times 10. But you know, did you guys ever think of that, you know, when you guys were making the song at all? Uh, what are your thoughts on on that sort of perspective?

SPEAKER_02 4:49

The actual length of the song and how we put it out was definitely a a conversation and a little bit of a debate that we had internally. Um, I was of the stance of like, oh, we should maybe, and it's it's the same thing of like it is kind of the the way of the age at the moment of like you need to make something that's like digestible. You may maybe make something that's like possibly playlistable, or oh, the attention span is only like two minutes long, if that, you know. So we created the song, we put everything together, and then it ended up being nine, nine and a half minutes. I think it's like 9.30, 9.51, or something like that. And we had the conversation of like, do because there is kind of like a midpoint, do we split this into two songs? Is that going to be better for playlisting, digestible? Is it gonna be better for listenerships and everything like that? I was on that side, and then Vince came in with the the hard stance of like this is what we have created, this is how it's meant to be experiences from A to B. This is the journey, this is the experience. It would be kind of like a a disservice to the actual thing to split it up, you know? And then after some time, like we agreed to that 100%. And I'm I'm very, very glad that we did because I feel like even though yeah, attention spans are are cooked at the moment, dude. And like being online and playlisting and all of these things that you're meant to do, yeah, I understand that completely. But like Vince's argument of like this is what we've made, it needs to be presented as this, and it'll it's better in the way that this is a hundred percent the right choice, you know. And I think it's a little disingenuous to create something especially with the subject matter of what it is, for that is about AI and is about technology and all of these things that are happening, and then also cut up the song so that it does work in an algorithm, and cut up the song so it does work for the AI and everything like that, which is kind of counteractive to the point, I would say. But I think it's meant to be experienced as one full journey, very much like the music video, very much like full art. And I think it'll stand the test of time, you know, rather than creating something that's a little bit more of a flash in a band.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

And I mean to add to that, like, you know, let's say Tool were trending right now. Do you think they're gonna cut a 12-minute song just to fit into the algorithm? Do you know what I mean? Like, or or Mastodon cutting down an eight-minute track to try and fit into that. Like, no, that's that's the message they're trying to put across. Cool. It doesn't get playlisted on a top 10. I mean, that's the repercussions of it, right? But the the merit that goes to creating something that long, just to have to divide it to fit into some sort of box, is just like something that I don't I don't particularly agree with. I mean, this is the longest song I've ever recorded in my life, and I was worried how it would be received. You know what I mean? But like at the end of the day, I don't know, the the response has been super cool, dude.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

One of the things that uh Gareth and I uh spoke about as well in his episode uh for Human Nebula um was you know the importance of music videos, uh whether it's something that bands consider something that is important in in 2026 or in this climate that we are in. Um what drove the decision behind you guys actually even shooting a music video for this? Uh, do you guys still are you guys of the opinion that you know music videos are still relevant in 2026? You know, what sort of benefits have you guys sort of seen having dropped this, you know, in the last couple of days, you know, alongside a music video as well?

SPEAKER_01 8:20

I'm just really hoping there's like a second MK, like an MCAR that comes out and can just like start pushing music videos again because like that was such a huge part of my like high school career was just like getting home, putting on MK, and just like being flooded with also essay bands trying to innovate, not just copy paste, but like trying to get something new to grab that attention. And like I've always had a huge soft spot for like really well-produced and well-made videos, and like it makes me fall in love with the song more if I can see people are putting in that effort towards it, right? I mean, like Human Nebula's latest video is so good, Fallen Prophet's videos is so good, Sunken State as well, I'm Divinity, like anything that they brought out is like anything they've brought out has been like really, really good. And like I think it's important to not let that medium die. Yeah, that's that's also such an important thing. Regardless, if cool, you get a thousand views and it's clocked, you know, cool, that's fine. But that doesn't mean that the medium should stop existing. And I think if we can also help, as you know, the not bigger, but like the essay bands in this country, like we can push that narrative. Like, listen, if you want to be something and noticeable, like it needs to be coupled with a good music video, and I think that's very important. And I also just love shooting videos. I love shooting videos, like it's such a fun thing, like it's it's really cool. Like the next video we've got coming out is like something like Short and I were discussing, it's humorous, something you don't see in the middle scene. You know what I mean? And we're like really trying to like, I don't know, just do something different and keep that medium alive.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Yeah, it's great for actually just kind of adding to the message of what you're trying to put out there as well. While it is, yeah, we're releasing uh music mainly, uh, the actual visual aspect of it helps build onto the narrative what you're trying to say. The visuals help build into the band. And mostly, like I the same as Vince, I love shooting music videos. It's something fun to do, it's something cool to do with the band, and also it's like it's limited, sure, they don't get very far, especially without like MTV and MCAR and all of these things happening. But at the same time, like I love going back and watching old music videos. I love going back and watching my own music videos and being like proud about them, and like it's a little self-serving, but like it's a fun experience to actually do the full normal band thing on the release. And then when you get to sit back and actually watch the premiere, like I'm so insanely proud of it just sitting watching it as like a viewer once it's all done, dude. It's it's it's great.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

One thing that Vince mentioned uh briefly before we started was that uh the music video is uh completely AI free. So nothing in that video was made by AI, to which I even responded that I don't think AI could ever come up with anything as beautiful as that. Uh so shout out to you guys and you know the team that you guys worked with there. But uh one of the things that uh that I feel like we need to touch on as well is that you guys actually got someone to do the artwork for you. Um, I see here you guys have created Julian Fisher. So tell me how you guys linked up with him. What was the chat like between you guys and Julian when you guys were briefing him in terms of you know the artwork for this?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

So um Julian's been a very close friend of mine for like the last 15 years or so, uh phenomenal artist. He was based in London, now he's living in Zim again, but uh he does everything fine art, you know, from charcoal to oil pastel, like he's a very versatile artist. Um, so he actually did our design for the Citadel album, the red one that we released um a couple of years back. And yeah, it's just a continuation. I mean, like so insane, you were saying earlier about the team that we used for this video, it's um it's all in-house, like it's the same videographer we use for Memento, it's the same editor, Sean, that we did, it's me doing the directing and like you know, reporting kind of thing. Like, we really believe in like we've all got our own talents and we we believe in like using the same people that helped the previous projects do so well. Do you know what I mean? Like, we we're not really about like switching in and out, except for basis, obviously, but Sean's time will come. But uh we uh we really believe in like keeping it in-house, you know, and like utilizing the skills that we have. I mean, this last song was mixed and mastered completely by Doug as well. So, yeah, hats off to Julian, phenomenal artist, and yeah, we can't wait to work with him again.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

When it comes to the team, bro, tell me a bit about you know how that conversation went when it comes to sort of you know doing the music, uh, the music video and having it be the way that it is. Is half the job literally just the lyrics, you know, because as Sean said earlier, um, you know, it's it's very like narrative driven. You've got the it complements what the what the lyrics are saying. So when you guys are coming up with the concept, is it a matter of the lyrics are already there and they build the story, and then it's a matter of you know putting that into a visual form? Like, what's the whole process behind the music video coming out the way that it did?

SPEAKER_01 13:08

Yeah, so I mean lyrics obviously play a play a big role. Um, I've always liked uh conceptualizing while I'm writing lyrics is also thinking about the vision or the image that comes with that, you know. Like I've I've always felt like whenever you're writing lyrics, it's very easy just to rhyme words, but what it what are you actually trying to portray? What are you trying to like show your audience through the narrative, you know? Um, so music video actually came very naturally. I had like uh I had an idea that I wanted to keep it like you know, quite CTO sepia, like from a color palette sort of view, to keep it feel natural, if that makes sense. Um and then yeah, obviously the the cables connected to the roof, whatever, just to show that motion as well was like a really cool um addition just to show the connection to you know technology and the players. But yeah, like it came really, really smooth. Like the concept was there. I chatted to Sean about it, I chatted to our videographer as well, Kyle, and things just sort of like slotted into place. Uh, it wasn't even close to the original idea because the venue we had originally booked um had a whole bunch of farming stuff stuck in there. That we didn't you forgot about that, right? We were like ready to rock up the next day, and the guy's like, Yeah, listen to there's like 25 tons of farming equipment in here. Good luck shooting a video. Um, and that had like a lot more, a lot more windows, so we wanted to like shine lights through the windows, create more silhouette vibes, and then yeah, we we found this other studio, uh, the luckily the place where I was currently working, and everything just worked out really, really well.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

What are you guys hoping that the song sort of achieves now that it's out there in the world? What are you guys hoping that you know people you know come to realize, whether it be about AI or anything like that? What would you say the ultimate goal is, you know, considering the message that you guys have in this song and the music video as well?

SPEAKER_01 14:56

So from a message perspective, obviously, I mean we're a tiny band in SA, you know, just trying to just trying to make a storm, I guess. But um I think the the message is to just be wary, right? Like don't just don't trust blindly, don't just follow blindly. Like be aware of how you're utilizing this incredibly powerful machine and make sure that the people who are in control of that power potentially are also aware of the repercussions that it might have on humanity. And rather, you know, there's been a conversation for a while of like a lot of people saying they wish we could pause AI right now, just put a stop to it and let it run its course as it is, because once it reaches that singularity phase, like we've lost the reins, the horse is running, and there's no way of getting that horse back. And what happens post that point, no one knows, right? There's no like definite answer, there's no like it's definitely gonna be positive, it's definitely gonna be negative, it's like up in the air. But I mean, the message I guess is just to be cautious and not like trust blindly, rather be, you know, if there's a red flag, like hey, I saw it, I saw that red flag, bro. I saw that red flag, you know, but like just be rather cautious than blind.

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Well, we hope the song is gonna do for Reactor Baby as a band is that firstly, we hope that it reaches as many people as it can for what it is. We hope that people enjoy uh it as much as we've enjoyed putting it together. Like we understand that it's a long song, we understand that it's a genre that's uh maybe not gonna be on the radio anytime soon or anything like that. But the point is that we are we have created something that we are proud of, that we we think is original to us, and something that we hope that's gonna carry us a little bit further, you know. We have other music that's kind of lined up, we have shows that are lined up, we have more that it's installed, you know. So it's something that we are like proud of, and we're we're putting the sort of the statement on this is the next chapter of Raptor Baby. But we also want to put the message out there that like we've created something that we're very, very proud of, but it comes with a heavy message, and it comes with stuff like what Vince's talking about with AI, his lyrical content, the music video content, the complexity of the actual music. But it's also slightly tongue-in-cheek, tongue-in-cheek uh because of who we are, you know. So we also want to do more shows with bands, we also want to have more fun with people, we want to get out there a little bit more, you know, as like the next chapter over. So I guess the the messaging is like we hope people ultimately enjoy it, ultimately take what they want from it in terms of messaging, but it's just kind of the start of the next chapter for Raptor, which is great, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

That's a perfect sort of segue into you know, basically future plans. Obviously, you guys dropped this on the 17th of July, as I said, as of the airing of this episode a few days ago. Um, what is sort of in the pipeline? Vince, you mentioned something uh super fun there in terms of another music video that you guys have sort of you know in the works. Um, I don't know how soon or whether we can even touch on that, but besides that, you know, what are the plans, whether it be you know live shows, you know, staple massive shows that are coming up um in the second half of the year, or whether it be more music videos, more music, um, what is Raptor Baby gonna be getting up to after this song?

SPEAKER_01 18:17

We're gonna obviously let the video simmer for a little bit, right? We do have a show coming up in August and September, if I'm not mistaken. But the next thing from a release standpoint is just to like go on to Sean's point of the tongue-in-cheek. We're actually probably gonna be releasing like a 15-minute like mini documentary of all the bloopers and f-ups that happened during the music video shooting. It is uh rather hilarious and rather vulgar, if I can put it that way. Um, but that's that's the whole thing. Like, you know, I also feel some male bands take themselves like way, way too seriously. And I mean, that's fine if that's the image they want to project. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, right? But like we're just dudes who just we love playing in a band. Yes, we play heavy music, but we're still we still have fun playing heavy music, right? Like, we're not trying to, I don't know, put forth this notion that we're like, oh, we're so serious, we're so serious. We're like, we're a bunch of nerds in the end of the day, you know, and we just we want people to also like get that feeling when they come to a show, there's not going to be judgment, oh, I can't listen to this type of medals. Like, listen to whatever you want. We don't care, just come and have a good time, you know. We're also working people, right? We're not like 20-year-olds playing in a band anymore. So, like, we've also kind of shifted the band's focus from trying to play at Sonage and Rumors like three times a month, um, and focus more on the content that we put out. Like, you know, I I really I want to I want to make this band live past the stage, if that makes sense. I want people to be able to look back at videos in 10 years' time and be like, dude, that was so sick. Like, I just like a good example is like 16 Stitch, you know, like you can still watch that video way back in the day and like, yeah, it's terrible quality now, but it's still like there's a nostalgia there, right? There's a nostalgia for that band. And like I I want to I want to let this band live past the stage, whether it be through content, through releasing sick music, and if we have to maybe take away from how often we're playing live, I'm we've we've played a lot, right? And I'm happy like taking a step back from the live aspect of it to just start generating really, really good content. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

What's coming up next for us is that we're on the the 29th, we have Stay of the Nation, which is like a really, really big show happening um with Liam from As Above Studios in at Ruins. Big show, I think it's gonna be two stages so on. Uh important note about that is Freedom for Your Life is back, which is shout out Freedom for Your Life, big fan, dude. Beyond that, we we've been playing our latest single Omnificent. We've been playing it live for a little while now, but we have the next single we kind of demoed at our last two shows, which is going to be the one with the the funny music video. So if you come to the next couple shows, you can hear that, which is cool. We have a few other songs in the pipeline, very similar length, very similar sort of style as our last single. So it's it's very much what Vince is saying, as in like we're we're we're focusing on creating firstly being happy with the music and creating something that we are proud of, but also putting out something that like is rad and you know, stands the test of time rather than playing every weekend and never like never releasing music or never doing music videos and stuff like that. We're we're focusing on putting stuff out that we are as a group everyone is very happy with, and like something that's not gonna just disappear in a week, you know, something that we are proud of. So that's kind of the next evolution, and then doing more shows, doing more music, and so on.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Before I let you guys go, uh, I do want us to take a moment just to uh send some shout-outs here, or maybe some quick quick fire responses to some of the comments that you guys actually got on the video itself. Uh, a couple of homies that we we all know. Uh, I'm gonna start with Mike's comment here. Video is mental. Sick job, guys. Do you I mean, how do you guys know Mike? Because he's been putting out some fire content recently, you know, in regards to you know what's happening in Austria and some of the bands there versus some of the bands here.

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Dude, I think I've known Mike. I don't I don't exactly remember the exact point I met him, but dude, I think I've known him for like 10 years or something like that. Like he's quite close friends with my brother, Ashley. Shout out Ashley, best sound engineer. He's quite close friends with Ashley, and I think I met him through that, and then he did like Brocella for a while, and then now obviously he's involved with like Varkin and Red Bull and all these things. Dude's a legend. Dude actually uh puts his money where his mouth is, where he's promoting local bands. And actually being part of it, you know. So big respect to him. Like he flies in for the finals, you know, which is crazy. So big respect.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Shout out to Mike. He's actually one of the podcast sponsors as well. So shout out to you, bro. Doing the lore's work. We've got Essian, uh, so sick, dudes. Uh, obviously, you guys have uh quite a quite a good relationship uh with the guys. How far back does that stretch?

SPEAKER_02 23:09

We have long history in terms of like playing in well, not long, but like at least recently long history, a couple of years back, five, six years of of being in lower together, and then starting like a side project, and then them doing no closure. We did a tour recently with them with Sunken, which was awesome. But uh he's uh he's an amazing vocalist, but he's also one of the best artists in um in like the local scene, you know. I think I get him to do every merch design for us, every poster design, like he's very, very good at what he does.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Yeah, an overall amazing human being, man. Like, really, really subtle dude.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

We've got one last one, uh Paul Joyer, uh basically saying SA's best uh metal band by far. Amazing work, Jorms. How does that even feel to you guys, you know, coming from him?

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Yeah, well, I mean, dude, I've been I've been watching ATFN since I was like a child, dude, you know, and um yeah, we used to actually rehearse in his garage, like way back in the day in Patorio when I was still living that side, like and um yeah, it's also just amazing to see how they progressed as a band and you know, also still still bringing out sick music, dude. Like how many years later? Like it's it's so good to see in the the just the general populace that like good bands are refuse to die, and that's such a such a strong message as well that like I think a lot of bands should take to heart. Like there's this like thought process of like, yeah, if a band lasts more than two years, that's too long. But I'm like, bro, like what can you do in two years? What can you do in two years, you know?

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Paul's the best, dude. Like, I love ATFM. They remind me of Propagandi, which is like one of my favorite bands, dude. They released Reverence, and that's like it's kind of all I listened to during COVID with like my walking album, man. So like I really, really do like I respect those dudes. They're an awesome band, man.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Are there any final words that you guys want to say to just the people that are constantly showing support to you guys and what you're doing before we close out?

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Listen, as as much as we're like an in-house band and we like doing things like our way, we would be nothing without the support of the the industry, like straight up. Like it's been it's been an amazing journey. Raptor Baby's been going since like 2012. It's been a very, very long journey, but like people coming to shows, people buying merch, people supporting us online, commenting where they can, watching videos, and like also just general feedback. Like, you know, like we we we always try and test new music in a live environment, and then like, for example, I think the first person to like hear the new song was Dwayne from Sunken, and he was just like, bro, I had no idea what was coming next, you know. And that was like, that's exactly what we want. We want people to be confused when they watch us. It mustn't be, you know, like it's it's really like that feedback and that's that general feeling I get from the metal industry in South Africa in general, it's like it's the same thing like if someone falls down in a mosh bit, you pick them up. And I feel like that lives past the mosh bit. And I really think that's important in this industry. It's like, you know, if a band's going through a tough time, other bands will come through to support and to help out wherever they can. I think that's a huge, huge help to why we've sustained for so long and why we're still going.

SPEAKER_02 26:14

I feel the same, dude. The the support that we get as a band and as people, and the support that I see towards other bands, like it's it's somebody mentioned it the other day where it was like it's it's we're in an era that hasn't existed before, you know, where the scene has been running for so long and it's gone through so many different eras and spaces and everything like that. But I've never really felt so connected and supported to the people around me like I have currently, you know. People you don't know, people you see at shows, people like we we've made friends with people in Cape Town and Durban and stuff, and we've never met them before. It's just purely because for the love of the game, you know, and like this stuff that we put out is like we're so incredibly proud of it, dude. Like, I'm so proud of this. I'm so proud of the song and the music. And for that to like we were happy just releasing it by ourselves, and like if it does well, cool. You know, if it doesn't, it's fine, you know. But like for people to connect with it and for people to like voice how it makes them feel and send us messages and wish us well, and like I love that, man. Like, that's why it's cool doing this, that's why it's cool playing shows and also seeing other bands release music and like sharing that with them. It's like it's a very like wholesome space that we live in at the moment, and also kind of like it motivates you to do more, dude. Like when you put something out there, it's like nerve-wracking, dude. And then when it's received well, like it's a it's a buzz, dude. Like, I I love it, man. So to do to do something that you are stoked about and to see other people are stoked about it, like that's it, dude. That's all I really need, you know. So I'm happy to do it with a band that is so I'm a fan of this band first, you know. I think everyone in this band rocks, dude. So, like, to be in a band that kicks ass and is received well, like, yeah, what more do you need, man?

SPEAKER_00 28:06

That is so sick, guys. Thank you so much for joining me this evening for this chat. Uh, absolutely brilliant music video that you guys have out. Um, it was so wholesome just getting to learn about you know behind the scenes, you know, some of the concepts and all that there. Um, if anyone wants to maybe check you guys out online, social media, follow you for more information and details. What are your handles and where can they find you?

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Facebook, Instagram for socials, just Raptor Baby or Raptor Baby Band, everything's on there. Um, for checking out music, we're pretty much everywhere. Bandcamp is the one that we like to push, you know. When we dropped the song, we got a couple sales on there, so we appreciate the support there, which is really, really cool. Spotify, YouTube music, all of that stuff. But yeah, Instagram and Facebook, that's where we sit. And then uh more importantly, come come say hi to us at the show, come watch us at a show. We'd love to see you, man.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Thank you for tuning into this episode. Uh, it's been myself, Vince, and Sean. Uh, we're about to head out. It is bye for now. Peace. Peace.