On July 13, Ben Abraham released a new music video starring actors Charlie Day and Mary-Elizabeth Ellis, giving a horror twist to his romantic ballad, “If I Didn’t Love You.” The track comes from Abraham’s sophomore album, Friendly Fire.
When Friendly Fire was written, Abraham was questioning his faith after a serious breakup. He claims that, “…it was this process of clumsily rediscovering what I believe about God. What do I know of God, of myself, of the world?” “If I Didn’t Love You” is a quintessential love song with faith-based undertones; Abraham chronicles the importance of the grounding love he has felt.
The accompanying music video, directed by Jillian Bell, is a dark spin on this light, acoustic ballad. As Abraham gently plays his guitar and violin strings swell, he simultaneously terrorizes a happy couple (Day and Ellis) by stalking them. Wherever they go, he appears on his stool singing, traveling from a park to their driveway to their closet. The couple tries dancing to the track to appease him, but, at the end of their wits, run at him and beat him up instead. When they run from the scene, they find him in the hallway, bloodied but still singing, committed to finishing the song.
Day and Ellis’s strong ability as actors shines through as they gradually become more fearful and angry. Their emotionality provides a comedic juxtaposition to Abraham’s calm stoicism, singing as if nothing is off about the situation at all. However, underneath its darker theming, the video highlights partnership, courage, and unwavering faith.
Abraham will be bringing his headline tour to the UK and US beginning this July. His sophomore album Friendly Fire is available for purchase or streaming.