Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Alt Bloom is ready to ride into the sun-kissed radiance of his hometown in the visual for his latest single “West Coast,” premiering exclusively on Billboard today (Jan. 17).
The video follows Alt Bloom mastermind Ethan Thompson as he skates down alleyways and city streets to reveal some of the most majestic views of Los Angeles. Breathtaking wide-angle shots of the sky and beach offer the same sense of freedom and repose that characterizes the easygoing tune.
Co-produced with multi-instrumentalist Devin D’Amato and engineer Brian Phillips, Thompson crafts a leisurely beat that invites immediate, instinctive head nodding with light synth embellishments that add to the song’s dreamy surrealism.
For a song that Thompson says is “about life in L.A. and stories from my experience here,” the video allows the viewer to take in the sights that inspired the sounds.
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“The making of the video was a 12-hour day of exploring beautiful spaces within Los Angeles,” Thompson tells Billboard. “We wanted to show parts of L.A. people don’t see as much, but we see everyday. [Director] Erica Eng found some great locations and we started shooting the opening scene at about 7:00 a.m. to not get booted off the street.”
Despite the song’s undeniably warm welcome, Thompson singles out one Angeleno who wasn’t necessarily buying into the production.
“If you watch closely on the right side of the screen on the first shot you’ll see a dog that was going off at us while we were trying to be low-key,” he notes. “It was hilarious trying to ignore it. Shout-out to all the friendly people who didn’t call the cops on us.”
Whether it’s “goodbye or hello” as the chorus considers, the destination doesn’t matter too much when you’re already living in paradise.
Check out the visual to Alt Bloom’s “West Coast” below.