This past April, multi-faceted Milwaukee musician, model, and photographer Valerie Lighthart completed her “By Moonlight” EP trilogy with the release of Pt. III: The Banshee. That third release followed Pt. I: The Goddess and Pt. II: The Witch and will precede a decidedly more poppy EP, Small-Town Starlet, that’s due out next summer. Before moving on to other creative endeavors, Lighthart wanted to wrap up the “By Moonlight” era with one last piece of artistic output.
With the help of videographer Alisha Hall of Carnegie Imagery and the visual accent in the form of wardrobe created by designer Maria Olson, Lighthart is putting a bow on The Banshee with a brand new music video for the EP’s closing track. The “Monster” video pairs Lighthart’s lush and booming Rod Wortham-produced song with, in Lighthart’s own words, “vivid and unnerving” visuals that ably combine stylish looks with chilling imagery.
“‘Monster’ is an artistic channeling of the demon that sits on your shoulder telling you to hold your keys between your fingers while walking alone at night,” Lighthart tells Milwaukee Record. “There might even be a darkness lurking within you that could scare any attacker.”
Lighthart says the video was shot “on a chilly day in April” at a variety of locations that includes Northern Lights Photo Studio, her mom’s forested backyard, and the indoor pool of one of her friends. The final cut looks like something out of a dream or from another dimension altogether. You can watch Valerie Lighthart’s “Monster” music video below…if you dare.