Stephen Chopek shares official video for new single ‘Staying’

“Staying is the hardest part…” intones Stephen Chopek on his new single “Staying”, a power-pop inflected gem lifted from his latest EP release On Their Own.

And yet the Memphis-based musician’s work has very real staying power, drawing on punk, pop and folk influences to create a thoughtful three-minute fix of heartfelt, restless melancholy.

On Their Own, Chopek’s second EP release of 2015, recorded by Chip Johnson at Alpine Red with mixing and mastering by Mikhail Pivovarov, combines with the earlier collection Things Moving to make up full length album Things Moving On Their Own Together. The two works cohere into a delightful whole, and you can read Skin Back Alley’s review of Things Moving here.

Drawing on his work as a visual artist, Chopek has now released a self-directed official video for “Staying” that you can watch below. Chopek recently told The Memphis Flyer of the shoot: “A few places in Midtown caught my eye that I thought would work well for a music video. My goal was to capture moments as they presented themselves in order to express the spontaneity of exploration. I collected a lot of footage without knowing which song I would would be using it for. When I decided that ‘Staying’ was going to be the single, everything fell into place. The video serves as both a visual accompaniment to music, and a love letter to my new home.”

Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.