Ok Go’s Damian Kulash says, “You know that dream where you’re somewhere familiar, maybe your childhood home, but there’s a door, one that was never there before, leading to some impossible magical place? Having children did that to my understanding of love. Suddenly, a huge new ballroom opened up off the little apartment I’ve inhabited so long—a whole new wing of love, grand and soaring and utterly overwhelming. It is endlessly amazing that we exist—little, conscious clusters of stardust occurring, apparently by chance, in the vast emptiness of the universe. And we get to experience love. It is unbelievable.”
Creative agency SpecialGuest developed the concept, social media, and brand partnership for the “Love” video. SpecialGuestX handled the seamless technology integration, and Universal Robots provided the robots. Damian Kulash, Aaron Duffy, and Miguel Espada co-directed the spot, which was produced by 1stAveMachine.
“I still can’t believe we pulled off ‘Love’ in a single take. For me, this video is a statement of how creative storytelling and cutting-edge technology can work together. It wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration of humans and machines,” expressed Miguel Espada, co-director of “Love” and executive creative technologist, SpecialGuestX.
“This is the kind of branded partnership you dream of—a product that is uniquely suited to help push the creative in a way no other product could. We’ve poured so much into crafting something truly original, and seeing the behind-the-scenes through the band’s eyes as they navigate this wild run of visual sleight of hand makes it all the more special,” said Andrew Geller, executive producer, “Love” and 1stAveMachine.
Always looking for new ways to document their elaborate videos, OK Go’s Damian Kulash, Timothy Nordwind, Andy Ross and Dan Konopka wore Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the video and throughout the production to capture behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage. The glasses are equipped with camera, audio and voice assistant functions and allow hands-free video capture, among other features.
Meta, PMI and Universal Robots were partners and producers of the video and the individual BTS clips.
“It is an extra special thrill to integrate our clients at Ray Ban Meta into the OK Go project. It was a perfect fit,” said Aaron Duffy, SpecialGuest’s co-founder. “OK Go is one of the most innovative bands out there and Ray Ban Meta AI glasses are one of the most innovative new products out there. SpecialGuest is the creative agency for the world’s most innovative companies, so I’m delighted that we can keep delivering on our mission.”
The album packaging also demonstrates boundless creativity and meticulous attention to detail. The first vinyl pressing, limited to 3,000, is a two-LP set on 180-gram, 45RPM discs in a foil-stamped gatefold with full-color inner sleeves. A three-dimensional sculpture pops up when listeners open it. The packaging was designed by Yuri Suzuki and Claudio Ripol from Team Suzuki with 3D sliceform design and popup structure by Wombi Rose, Hà Trịnh Quốc Bảo and Emilio LaTorre for Lovepop.
The band will perform “Love,” its new single, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, April 15. With numerous dates on its North American headline tour already sold out, OK Go has added second shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, BC, as well as a September 14 concert at Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City. Tickets are available
