Exclusive Video Premiere: Marissa Burwell – You're Not Trying Very Hard

Moments of reflection lead to the songs that Marissa Burwell's second EP, Either Way. The Canadian singer-songwriter effortlessly unites folk and rock with direct lyrics to a heartfelt, levitating sound.

The EP's namesake song, Either Way, a tender and folky composition, was featured not long ago in our Weekly5. The conclusion: «Either Way, the song and the EP, are the perfect soundtrack to roam in one's heart and soul.»

Today, Negative White presents another of Marissa Burwell's works on Either Way as we celebrate the exclusive video premiere for You're Not Trying Very Hard.

Directed by Emma New, filmed and edited by Andrew Parry, the music video embraces a warm, glowing vintage look. It invites us to a lush, candle-lit birthday party—all seems perfect. Yet, Marissa Burwell's performance is deliberately disconnected from the exuberant joy.

I used to cry on my birthday,
Now I'm crying on yours

You're Not Trying Very Hard is a mind game: What if you enter a relationship you know will not end well? How do you deal with the anxiety that only a sliver of interest might bring you pain? «Every answer is the wrong one,» sings Burwell. And one can physically feel the torn inside.

The song's intimacy and difficult questions create dire despair, counteracted by the hauntingly beautiful music and the video's perfectly staged frames.