Mattiel Premieres New Video for Beastie Boys Cover 'Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun'

Mattiel, the Atlanta-based rock band fronted by vocalist Mattiel Brown, premieres the incredible video for their new cover of the Beastie Boys' "Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun" today. Brown directed the video and stars in it alongside bandmate Jonah Swilley. "In the video for 'Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,' we hoped to capture the energy of the song in our own way," says Brown. "The circular shots are a bit of a nod to the Beasties' love for using a fisheye lens in so many of their videos. A sense of 'dark psychedelia' also comes through in the distorted, stretchy elements. For the shots of Jonah, we used this old broadcast camera (lent to us by Zach Pyles - Thank you Zach!). So those parts were recorded onto a VHS tape and played back on a monitor and digitized. All the digital parts were done on my Canon 5D Mk II, so the whole thing was a pretty barebones setup without any fancy equipment. We shot this during a pandemic, and we're all still waist deep in global crisis - so I feel grateful that we were able to get good results during a time where video production can be especially challenging."

Watch "Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun" below!

"Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun" appears on Mattiel's Double Cover 7-inch, which is available now digitally and on limited-edition vinyl (shipping in August). Double Cover also features an explosive cover of The Clash's "Guns Of Brixton," from their classic 1979 album London Calling. Purchase Double Cover HERE.

Mattiel's sophomore album Satis Factory was released on ATO Records last year, winning instant acclaim for its gritty and provocative rock-and-roll sound. Rolling Stone compared Brown's "gorgeously yearning, full-voiced alto range" to Nico, and NPR raved, "There's something delightfully unique about Mattiel's music. A pinch of garage rock, a touch of psychedelia, some galloping honky-tonk and at the lead, Mattiel Brown's powerful and assertive vocals." Satis Factory is available HERE.

Photo credit: Jason Kofke