FEATURE: Days Like These - Oblivion ft. Death Tour (Dir. Andrew Vaughn) - CLIPPED.TV

FEATURE: Days Like These – Oblivion ft. Death Tour (Dir. Andrew Vaughn)

12/30/2025

We take a look back at music video from Days Like These, titled ‘Oblivion‘ which brings a mind bending and ultra-stylized aesthetic that visually captures their unique sound to life in a hauntingly captivating fashion. Let us dive into the dark and brooding world of ‘Oblivion‘, a clip that perfectly complements the chaotic themes of the track. Band member Callen Batson explains the thought process behind the clip’s style:

“Given the chaotic and brooding themes of the song audibly, we wanted the video to match in a visual sense too, so it was important that the world we created within the music video was dark and ghoulish. Oblivion is about the dark places your mind can take you, and overthinking situations, playing out unlikely or impossible scenarios in your head. The music video adapts these themes by featuring uncanny and uncomfortable performances and settings, playing on creepy aesthetics.”

: Behind the scenes

The visual style of the music video was inspired by modern rap videos, particularly the work of giants of the modern rap music video scene like Baby Keem and Joji. The clip’s aesthetic features a dark, stylized and ghoulish world that almost feels neo-noir in its look. Director Andrew Vaughn talked further about this with us:

“A big influence I had in mind for this music video was Baby Keem’s ‘family ties’ film clip. I absolutely love the use of still shots and the plethora of unusual scenes within that video, and the blend of the two make for such a unique viewing experience. It is a great example of the uncanny nature of what I touched on in the previous question. We let that video inspire us, adding a darker and more sinister twist”

: Behind the scenes

Andrew continues, elaborating on his perspective as director, emphasising how he used his camerawork and aspect ratio choice to visually articulate the track’s atmosphere.

“[Modern rap music videos] usually stick to very static shots, rely on interesting composition and compelling performances, I really wanted to use this approach to amplify the unique sound of the song and show DLT in a different light. Taking these Influences, we then twisted them to give a darker tone to match the song. The 4:3 ratio is more of a personal choice, I’m a big fan of the boxy look and it sort of lends itself to my style of filmmaking, it’s something I’ve used a lot in recent projects and I love the almost claustrophobic feeling it gives to videos, allowing absolute focus on what I want the viewer to see with no filler.”

: Behind the scenes

The production process for the music video took significant time and effort, with the shoot spanning two entire nights in various locations throughout Melbourne. The team faced challenges such as transporting gear and props, negotiating with public locations for filming permissions and dealing with short summer nights. However, their dedication and commitment to the project paid off, resulting in a smooth and successful production.

“Being a newer resident to Melbourne I wasn’t too familiar with all the interesting spots so I tasked Jackson Bentley, a fellow filmmaker with location scouting. The biggest challenge we probably faced was filming an outdoor video at night during the summer night cycle. Starting filming at 9pm through to 5am two nights in a row is never a fun time but thankfully everyone was committed to pushing through and making it happen. With the assistance of the band, Brooke and Jackson I couldn’t have asked for a smoother operation”

: Behind the scenes

Some of the standout moments in the video are the ultra-stylized and ultra-clean VFX shots, such as the frame bending sequences, which are seen in the under-the-bridge shot and the living room performance scene. These effects were achieved through a combination of planned visual effects shots and unexpected moments that fell into place during the editing process.

“The entire effects process for the lounge scene (that being my lounge that I emptied out for the shot) was planned to be shot and edited that way, creating multiple versions of Callen through frame splits and blending. When it came to the under the bridge scene with the dual shadows, that was something that just fell into place during editing. I had the thought come to me to mask in another shadow using different parts of Callen’s performance[.] I plan out as much as possible for a shoot to help set the foundation for VFX but if I’m passionate about a particular clip I will spend a lot of extra time trying out as many things as possible, there’s a lot of unexpected magic that can come from just tinkering with different ideas.”

: Behind the scenes

Another notable aesthetic element of the clip is the wonderful outfit design by stylist Brooke Pelizzari. With a keen eye for fashion and aesthetics, Brooke’s contribution to the video’s visual storytelling is evident in every frame. Here she reflects on the inspiration and approach she took to this creative process:

“For Oblivion, I didn’t get much of a brief other than ‘edgy, dark and moody’ but the boys and I know each other’s style so well at this point that I don’t really need any more than that. The very nature of this song is chaotic, genre-less, a bit spooky and a bit grungy, so I knew I had to throw in some crazy statements that emulated all of that. Something I really pushed in this video was the heavy androgynous influence in the styling. The boys have been expressing elements of gender fluidity in their aesthetic for some time now, but this clip saw them completely reject the binary norms and step into a world where there are no rules. I ended up piecing together eight different outfits for this video and I believe we effectively captured a harmonious concoction of intensity, subtlety, darkness and quirk that was captured so elegantly by Andrew.”

: Behind the scenes

“Oblivion” is a must-watch. The video’s dark and ghoulish aesthetic, achieved through careful planning, distinct camera angles, and visual effects, perfectly complements the chaotic and brooding themes of the song. The dedication and creativity of the team involved in the production process are evident in every frame, making this music video a standout visual experience.