World Premiere: “Trick of the Light”
Step into the Shadows with New Charming Disaster Music Video
Behold, the grand unveiling you’ve been waiting for: Grimrose Manor proudly presents the world premiere of “Trick of the Light,” the haunting new music video from Brooklyn’s own goth-folk conjurers, Charming Disaster. Inspired by Bram Stoker’s immortal tale of Count Dracula, this mesmerizing track lures you into the shadowy corners where moonlight meets mystery—and we wouldn’t have it any other way at the Manor.
Longtime bandmates Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris gathered inspiration for the song when they listened to an unabridged audiobook version of Dracula while on tour last fall. “It was long, but so was the tour,” Jeff says, “and we were struck by the absurd number of red flags that the characters seemed so determined to ignore. All those clues to what's going on—the holes in Lucy’s neck, her strange pallor—and yet it couldn't possibly be the obvious thing, like it must be some trick of the light.”
Ellia adds, “Victorian sensibilities of propriety meant the social order must be maintained at all costs. So the chorus of the song is kind of the Victorians trying to pretend it’s all right, but it's also the Count, trying to mesmerize you. Our song draws imagery directly from the text and comes from a few different characters’ perspectives, including Lucy, Mina, Renfield, and of course the Count himself.”
The duo offer that it was a treat to work with such a competent and enthusiastic creative team on the video, all of whom were students or recent graduates of Florida State University's film program, with a history of working on each other’s films.
“Our intrepid director, Zolomon, had the concept of two realities,” Ellia says, “a dreamy stylized vampire fantasy of seduction and power portrayed in black and white. and a gritty, super-saturated reality of a wannabe Count Dracula with a combover. The playful subversion of the sexy vampire character with the uncool creep makes the video so fun—but our creepy guy gets so much more than he can handle when his fantasy comes alive.”
Jeff talks about making the video. “We shot the scenes in historic Green-Wood Cemetery (in Brooklyn), picnicking among the dead; an Airbnb where the gregarious host prepared breakfast for us—almost against our will—of chicken and pancakes, while the other guests impassively watched us walk back and forth in prop fangs and fake blood; and a deserted stairwell on the streets of Brooklyn, where the security cameras definitely recorded some gruesome scenes.”
“Trick of the Light” offers a tantalizing glimpse of the duo’s forthcoming album, The Double, set to descend upon the mortal realm on May 16. In their seventh full-length release, Ellia and Jeff invite listeners to enter an alternate reality.
“There are many different ways to access that other reality,” Ellia says about the albums themes, “whether it’s a sense of ritual and magic, a connection with nature, or engaging with mortality. The songs on The Double offer a number of possibilities.”
Formed in 2012 under Brooklyn’s starless sky, Charming Disaster sprang from a mutual fascination with gothic humor, mythic storytelling, and the timeless allure of murder ballads. Drawing from the spirits of Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and the American Folk tradition, their music breathes life into dark narratives, always with a mischievous wink. Now, with The Double and its shimmering lead single “Trick of the Light,” the duo beckons you to cross over into a realm where every shadow dances—and every flicker of light might just be something more than it seems.
Without further ado, we offer the world premiere of “Trick of the Light” by Charming Disaster.