Hailing from Australia, the same continent that birthed music icons like Kylie Minogue and Sia, The Veronicas have a national reputation to uphold when it comes to pop music; so, for their first entirely narrative-based music video, twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso enlisted the help of fellow Aussie entertainer, Orange is the New Black’s Ruby Rose, to star in and direct the powerful visual for their new single “On Your Side.”
Shot over a single weekend in Auckland, New Zealand, the video follows the rise and fall of a smoldering relationship between characters played by Rose and Jessica, punctuated by scenes showcasing the couple’s soaring affections (including a giant teddy bear and sweet kisses shared in a bathtub) and devastating lows resulting from drug addiction and betrayal.
“When I first heard the song, I was drawn to the lyrics. Some songs tell the first chapter of a story; others only tell the last, but here, I was listening to a full narrative of someone’s sincere experience with love,” Rose said in a statement about the video. “It stood out to me, and like any great narrative, [I] wanted to know what was going to happen next… The only thing is I threw out the original concept for the [video] the night before shooting, when I realized how many times they had used cars in previous videos. I wrote the treatment for what stands as the video today as an 11th hour revision.”
The cut, produced by Ollipop and Freddy Haggstam, is the second single from The Veronicas’ forthcoming fourth full-length album. The planned LP, which the Origliassos previously told EW was partially inspired by the electronic sound of artists like Minogue and Grimes, follows three previous studio efforts — all of which reached No. 2 on the Australian charts before earning platinum certification in the duo’s native country. Its lead single, the subtle banger “In My Blood,” became The Veronicas’ third No. 1 single in Australia earlier this year, nearly a decade after their 2007 smash “Untouched” reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
“Lisa and I have always been drawn to unconventional and honest story telling through our music,” Jessica said in a statement. “Ruby brought this to the forefront in our video for ‘On Your Side. The video shares a story between Ruby’s character and mine. It’s a true to life look at the passion and protection of two people falling in love and, ultimately, a love that cannot be broken.”
The Veronicas’ new single, “On Your Side,” is available now on iTunes and Spotify. Watch the tune’s new music video below.
