As their band’s name suggests, Overshare holds nothing back. The Dallas alt-pop duo, which consists of vocalist and producer Eric Rosener and guitarist/bassist Connor Cameron, released their debut single, “Flaws,” and its music video, just last month. In the single, Rosener sings of his struggles with bipolar disorder and the pressure of adhering to societal gender norms.
Before forming Overshare with Cameron, Rosener had released several hip-hop tracks under the moniker Eric Spoke. While many of his solo works are often more melancholy in tone, with Overshare, the duo hopes to make more lively, upbeat tracks.
“I really value the characteristic of being childlike,” Rosener says. “It’s a good thing, in my opinion. So I really try to capture a childlike, playful mood or aesthetic in this music.”
The inspiration comes through. “Flaws” is upbeat, complete with pop and hip-hop elements, rap-singing and a bouncy, irresistible bass line. Rosener says he was in a Billie Eilish sort of mood.
“I listened to ‘Bad Guy’ like 10,000 times, just like everybody else did, because that song is amazing,” Rosener says. "... I didn’t want to copy that song, but I wanted a song with that kind of driving bass line. Usually, people use the vocals or some lead element to provide the catchiness, but when you’ve got that catchy bass line, there's not much else quite like it.”
In the video, directed by Hayle Birlew with cinematography by Beau Raines, Rosener and Cameron are seen headbanging in a car, singing and playing music shirtless in a bathroom and in a party, where they both ignore women’s advances. In a few shots, Rosener is seen wearing a white button-up shirt from the waist up and underwear and lingerie from the waist down.
Birlew explains that her idea was to demonstrate the man's duality, in both his masculine and feminine parts.
“With the button-up shirt, that’s the kind of career you’re expected to have,” Birlew says. “You’re expected to be a businessman, you’re expected to be rich. But oftentimes, these rich men have skeletons in their closets and they keep everything bottled up.”
Birlew has previously done photo shoots for local artists, including Lorelei K. “Flaws,” which marks Birlew’s debut music video, was shot over the course of 14 hours in Rosener’s parents' home, without their knowledge, as he didn’t want them to see him in lingerie.“Sadly, with toxic masculinity and the expectations of men, they can't express their flaws and they can't express when they're upset or when they're self-conscious because it’s seen as weak." – Hayle Birlew
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Rosener and Cameron do lighting for weddings, and they borrowed some lights from work to help create the video.
Rosener estimates the video cost about $500 to produce, while Birlew believes that the impact of “Flaws” will be even greater.
“In society, gender roles are a double-edged sword; they hurt both women and men,” Birlew says. “Sadly, with toxic masculinity and the expectations of men, they can't express their flaws and they can't express when they're upset or when they're self-conscious because it’s seen as weak. I just want people to accept their flaws and let them know that we're all in this together.
"It'd be really cool if we all rose up as a society and destroyed gender norms.”
Watch "Flaws" below:
