ENTERTAINMENT

Song to Get You Through the Week: The premiere of 'Broke Stoned & 23' by Kristen Ford

Victor D. Infante
Telegram & Gazette
Kristen Ford's newest music video is “Broke Stoned & 23.”

We don’t often “premiere” music videos on Telegram.com or Worcestermag.com. Not for lack of trying: We have the conversation every few months with some artist or other, but the demands of print production and music release schedules never seem to align, so it never works out.

Then, Kristen Ford — formerly of Boston, currently of Nashville, and a regular visitor to Worcester — got in touch to ask if we’d be interested in premiering the music video for “Broke Stoned & 23,” the second single off her recent album, "War in the Living Room." As Ford is a longtime favorite, the answer was a no-brainer.

The video for “Broke Stoned & 23,” directed by Boston rocker Carissa Johnson, is on its surface a lighthearted affair, with Ford done up as an over-the-top rock star in some shots, dancing goofily with her foster dog Squid in others, all in front of projections of dinosaurs and out of space.

It’s fun and whimsical, reflecting the tone of the song, riding a synth pop vibrancy — courtesy of synth player Kayce Laine — that complements Kels Cordare’s low-grounded bass line and D Flood’s light-handed percussion, which keep the song grounded. Moreover, Ford’s vocals and Shelby Francis’s guitar hooks make this an extremely catchy song, but despite all appearances, it’s not a HAPPY one.

Indeed, this is the sort of hidden layer of emotional resonance that Ford does very well: The pop-friendly vibrancy obscures a well of regret, which reveals itself in the lyrics such as, “Holding on to best intentions/can we do our best to just not mention it again?" and “Head under water/you can count on me to change the subject.” Ford does not paint the song’s persona in a flattering light, and when she sings that she wishes she was, “broke and stoned and 23,” the admission feels a tad like guilt. After all, she’s waxing nostalgic for a time before adult responsibilities and commitments while a real-life relationship is shattering. But then, who hasn’t pined for their wild youth, from time to time, especially when life gets hard? That desire is understandable, but it doesn’t wipe away the demands of the present. It’s a truth of which the song is painfully aware.

The video ends with Ford and her guitar in front of a green screen, looking pensive and uncomfortable, trying too hard to be cool. Then, she lets slip a slight, knowing smile, and it’s clear she knows exactly what she’s doing. It’s a fun song and a clever video, but ultimately, it’s the parts left unsaid that stick with the listener, after the dancing and dinosaurs have gone.