Rarely does a video make you smile like this latest single from Anthony da Costa. The music is upbeat and uplifting, a real tonic in a challenging world. And the video is simply full of joy. da Costa explains the thinking behind the video: “Director Jacqueline Justice and I started out with a concept of me starting the same day over and over, a millennial’s Groundhog Day tale, if you will. We ended up making things a bit more fun, depicting the feeling of being cooped up and fed up with oneself. In a time with no touring and a lack of connection with the outside world, I’m my own rockstar, be it in my kitchen or bathroom.
The sweatshirt bearing my name is something I’ve had since I was ten years old and in a musical theatre performance choir. It was part of our uniform. Jacqueline thinks I should sell some as merch, just big dumb red sweatshirts with my name embroidered on them. Maybe we’ll do that. The other main sequence of the video was shot at this golf course we have here in Nashville. It’s owned by the city and used to be a full-on course with no walking or park goers allowed…but it was recently damaged in the Nashville tornado back in March, and has basically become a temporary park with no golfing allowed. It’s a place where I go to walk, run, and just generally alleviate stress. Seemed like a perfect location to shoot and pretend like I’m getting in shape.”
The song first existed as a post on Instagram, a one-minute-long release, a focused burst of pent-up energy after a couple of months of lockdown. Of that original post, da Costa said: “Sometimes you write a 1-minute song in the middle of a lightning storm, during a pandemic and the largest-scale power outage Nashville has ever seen. Weeks removed from a tornado. Real chill. Love you all. The song also exists as a lamentation towards ex-love and an admission of guilt and misdirection while trying to right the ship of your own self-worth and well-being.”
Anthony da Costa is a prolific songwriter and touring musician. Over the years, he has shared a stage with the likes of Joy Williams (The Civil Wars), Sarah Jarosz, Molly Tuttle and Yola. He’s also released a number of albums, both solo and collaboratively, including ‘Feet on the Dashboard’ earlier this year.
Lyrically engaging: “And the woman I love is imaginary // She comes to me in darkness // And speaks to me in dreams,” sonically lush and full of folksy melody, ‘Away from My Heart’ stays with you long after listening. Watching Anthony da Costa run and dance with abandon and strum his guitar in the bathroom is a delightful way to start your day. Enjoy.
