Today, Jakobs Castle, passion project of magnetic artist Jakob Nowell (son of late Sublime vocalist Bradley Nowell) shares his new music video titled “Time Traveler (Official Video)” directed by James Wyatt. Filmed on VHS for a lo-fi vintage feel, it follows Jakob as he cruises around in a convertible exploring his hometown of Long Beach, CA. On a mission to honour the past while harnessing the possibilities of tomorrow, the video is partially animated and incorporates AI to achieve its glitchy, anime inspired visuals. When describing his vision for the video, Jakob explains,
“With this video release I’m hoping to really define the aesthetics of Jakobs Castle. We used classic shots of iconic Long Beach locations like Rose Park, Belmont Shore, the top of Signal Hill, and the Oil Refineries to name a few. I wanted to merge these images with mysterious glitchy internet weirdness and I think director James Wyatt nailed it on all fronts. The whole recipe adds up to a sort of different take on retrofuturism and beach culture all at once.”
The video’s director, James Wyatt, adds, “All of the animated work was generated frame by frame by AI compiled and data moshed by me. It was a hefty process working with the VHS footage and getting the style right. But once it clicked it immediately made everything tie together. Something old, something new.”
WATCH “Time Traveler (Official Video)” HERE
Born into music royalty, there is no denying that Jakob is influenced by his father’s legacy, but Jakobs Castle is anything but a nostalgic rehash. Staying cutting-edge while retaining the keen sense of melody that endeared his father’s music to millions of people all over the world, Nowell’s mission for the band is to “mix California’s past with the fresh mystery of internet underground culture.”
The 28-year-old Nowell got his start playing in the popular Southern California rock act LAW, but Jakobs Castle is an unfiltered version of his personal musical identity which he created alongside producer and co-collaborator Jon Joseph. “I think that Jon was the guy who really helped me discover my sound because I would show him the synth sounds I wanted or what I liked for vocal effects and it became this affected cyber ska weirdness,” Nowell explains.
Signing to Epitaph is a full circle moment for the musician born into the thriving California punk scene, yet deciding to forge his own musical destiny in a way that’s relevant to today’s generation of listeners. “The tagline I’ve always had for this project is beach meets internet,” Jakob summarizes. “Once you swim in these songs for a while, that description makes perfect sense.”
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