Video: Nico Yaryan, ‘You Belong To Me’

Jordan Kleinman on June 15th, 2016

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Like the opening scene of a romantic comedy, singer-songwriter Nico Yaryan sits by a tree in a park talking to an off-screen stranger and offers to go on a seemingly innocent walk. Suddenly, the narrative shows him forlorn in skivvys on a bed in a motel room. He stares longingly at a polaroid photograph which reveals that the subject of his sadness is, in fact … an adorable Labrador retriever.

The single, “You Belong to Me,” is off his debut record, “What A Tease,” just out on Partisan Records. The video cuts between past and present, depicting the almost Annie Hall-esque timeline Yaryan and the dog share — picking out clothes, watching TV, or sharing ice cream — and Yaryan in his underwear in a motel, brooding over what seems to be an inter-species breakup. The song’s timbre balances uplifting and somber, perfectly matching the dual storylines. This video could be expressing underlying themes of a real breakup, or explicitly depicting the heartbreak of losing a dog. … Either way, it’s worth the watch and will evoke a smile (and perhaps a tear) from even the most stoic listeners.

||| Watch: The video for “You Belong to Me”