Ben Kweller 'Optimystic' With New Video

01-22-2025

(BHM) Ben Kweller has unveiled the alt-anime official music video for his harrowingly powerful new single, "Optimystic." The debut animation by Dallas, TX-based tattoo artist/musician Mistery Matter, the companion visual is streaming now on YouTube. A brutal expression of the emotions Kweller felt shortly after losing his 16-year-old son Dorian Zev Kweller in a freak car accident back in February of 2023, "Optimystic" is available now at all streaming services.

The GRAMMY Award-nominated rocker's subsequent journey through grief and loss has led to one of the most anticipated albums of 2025, Cover The Mirrors, arriving via The Noise Company on Friday, May 30 - a day that would've been Dorian Zev's 19th birthday.

"I've been a huge fan of Mistery Matter's art for years." Kweller says. "I noticed some animated shorts that he recently put on his Instagram feed and thought, Hmmmm, we should do a video for 'Optimystic'! It seemed like the perfect song to give Mistery Matter free reign to create whatever he wanted. His natural aesthetic tends to be gritty and dystopian which totally fits this song, so I knew he needed little guidance. He nailed it."

A musician and tattoo artist based in Dallas, TX, Mistery Matter is a founding member of The Texas Gentlemen, a loose-limbed collective known for their own music as well as backing combo for Leon Bridges, Kris Kristofferson, and others. Currently serving as musical director for psych-outlaw Paul Cauthen, Matter has frequently collaborated with Kweller over the years, from graphic design to a stint in his band during his 2021 Circuit Boredom era.

"I've always been a huge fan of BK since way back," Mistery Matter says. "He sang 'Family Tree' at my wedding which my wife brings up all the time. As a teen, I was a full-on waiting-to-get-merch-signed level fan. Sha Sha and On My Way were hugely influential in my early musical journey, and later when our paths crossed as peers, we were fast friends. I was in his band for a little while which is something I truly cherish. If he asked me to build a flying machine, I'd probably say yes.

"Making the 'Optimystic' video was a crazy and challenging adventure for me. Undoubtedly one of the most rewarding creative projects I've ever done. I went in without much experience in animation beyond years of consuming it. I'd made a couple super short things in Procreate but nothing longer than a few seconds. Still, I was honored to be asked and as anyone in a creative industry knows, you always say yes and then figure it out. So, I jumped right in, downloaded Dreams (the Procreate companion animation app) and started drawing. No story boarding or planning really - just the song, the single artwork, and a 3-week deadline.

"I've made art for BK before from tour posters to merch designs, and I love working with him because our tastes are harmonious. I don't think he'd ever given me one revision on anything I'd done, so I knew even if this was something new and scary that whatever the result, it'd be cool. I underestimated the logistical challenge of hand-drawing 2000 frames in 3 weeks. It was a labor of love, and I do love Ben and his family so much. The song got to me on several levels, so as difficult as it was, it also felt really special to get to bring it to life."