Jesse Hale Moore’s single “Every Time” is about transition. It’s a subject close to the 29-year-old singer-songwriter, who grew up in Rhode Island and currently lives in Philadelphia. He’s embarking on a solo career after playing in the bands Nightlands and Auctioneer.
“I was coming out of a period of time where a lot of the projects I was working on came to a halt. Creatively, the way I had been working up until that point was I would go to rehearsals and other people would lead the creative process and I would engage in it, but mostly I would just do my job. And suddenly, I was met with this challenge of directing myself and really directing my own craft,” Moore said.
The video for “Every Time” offers the perfect visual for the uncertainty of a transitional period: Moore wanders the desolate streets of New York’s Chinatown in the wee hours of the morning, unsure of whether his lover deserves another chance despite the fact that “every time it’s the same.”
The War on Drugs‘ bassist Dave Hartley, who Moore played with in Nightlands, produced the single, which features shimmering synths that wouldn’t sound out of place on the former’s project. Moore credits Hartley with giving the song a direction.
“I had written this song and the first time he heard it the version he heard was just a one-take piano and vocal live recording demo and I was kind of all over the map with ideas I had behind it and what kind of production I heard from it,” Moore said. “Dave really brought this very experienced ear to this song.”
The final version heard in the video is an affecting R&B ballad built around a a rhythmic electric piano. Synths are weaved in and out for a subdued sound that leaves space for Moore’s falsetto pleadings.
The vision for the video was carved out with directors Tessa Greenberg and Grier Dill while Moore spent some time living in Brooklyn this summer. They shared color pallets and images they found inspiring, and Moore says the idea of playing with neon lights was an early inspiration.
“They exceeded my expectations so much, in terms of taking something as simple as just walking around in the city and turning it into something really kind of special and vibe-y.”
