‘Dogstar,’ a standout track from Anton Barbeau’s upcoming album ‘Dig The Light,’ is part of a body of work set for release on 11 July 2025 via Think Like A Key Music.

The video, featuring the dancing ‘Dogstar’ twins, was filmed in the same room where Anton’s father passed away. This is an intimate and emotionally charged choice that adds depth to the visual experience. This space, alive with personal history, perfectly complements the dreamy, flowing quality of both the music. Directed by Julia, the video took weeks to craft, reflecting a shared creative vision that marries real-life with vivid art, making ‘Dogstar’ a memorable fusion of sound and story.

Pre-order ‘Glitch Wizard’ and its companion ‘Dig The Light’ now and get ready for the double release on July 11. Psych wizards like Anton Barbeau don’t come around often. Best to tune in while the spell is still strong.

Your videos drift in and out of a dreamlike haze, merging with the music as if both are streams of consciousness flowing toward the same elusive horizon. Like, filming the dancing ‘Dogstar’ twins in the same room where your dad passed away… that’s heavy and personal. Could you delve into how these personal, often emotionally charged environments influence the overall vibe and atmosphere you’re crafting?

Anton Barbeau: You know, we didn’t actually tell the dancers that my dad had died in that same room. Thought it might be a little weird for them. They’ll find out when they read this interview! But for me, using that room in all sorts of ways is a reminder that the house is a living thing. It might be peculiar to say, but finding my dad in his bed after he’d died was quite a beautiful thing for me. It wasn’t a shock. We knew it could happen at any time by then. It was a moment of true peace and relief and a clear example of the circle of life and death. Both my wife and our friend Karen, who stayed in Dad’s room after he’d died, have used the space for roller skating. I’ve written a handful of songs in that room, and I love recording in there with the gorgeous reverb of the empty wood-floored space. Lots of life in that room and in this house. Julia and I always incorporate the “realness” of our life in our video work. We work in spaces that are meaningful to us. Oddly, though, this is one of the few videos that doesn’t feature our dog.

You’ve mentioned some wild stuff, like dodging “the passed-out, trouser-pissed dude on the ‘Nightcrawler’ staircase.” What’s the single most chaotic or memorable moment that completely derailed or challenged your shoot?

I’m too honest sometimes, maybe, but really, there was nothing difficult at all about making the ‘Nightcrawler’ video. I was in Berlin, which is where the song is set, and I’d just wander out of my apartment at night, stoned with my iPhone, and shoot bits of this and that. It might’ve been more pointed or obvious to find a nightclub to film in, but simply walking down Kottbusser at 11 p.m. worked just fine. It’s not hard to capture the essence of Berlin, as Berlin is ALL essence all the time. I love walking Berlin. At night or at 7 a.m. Neukölln is my heart’s hometown. The night-vision slug was something Julia filmed in Carnac, France, where we wandered around in a Covid haze.

What’s the wildest glitch or cosmic hiccup that scrambled your shoot’s signal and forced you to remix the whole damn thing on the fly?

Again, there were no difficulties with any of the videos we’ve made for these two new albums. ‘Glitch Wizard’ was an all-Ant production. Julia always brings a more polished touch, but in the case of this song and video, I could be as messy and glitchy as I wanted. And if I needed an extra bit of footage for a section, I’d roam the house and film anything that caught my eye. I work really fast and the ‘Glitch’ video came together in a day or two. No hiccups to be found. The video for ‘Dogstar’ is a Julia production and took weeks rather than days. It’s more thoughtfully created with more scope of vision. I love working with her. She sees things that I can’t picture and she has the ambition and skill to pull them off.

I’m more about “causing myself trouble and then fixing it on the spot.”

Switching gears to your “Dark Mystery Temple” studio… sounds like a pretty special place. How has having your own custom setup changed the way your new tracks sound? Are there any new tricks you’ve been diving into that you couldn’t before?

My DMT studio has a “sound,” for one thing. Low, acoustic-tiled ceiling, two wood walls, two concrete (or is it cement?) walls and a carpeted concrete floor. You’d call it a “dead” sound, but while it’s not a reverberant space, it’s got real life to it. Sounds have a halo around them. Having all my gear in one space and being able to record at full volume anytime I like is fantastic. We’re on a farm, so I can do drums any time of day or night. I’m learning to be a better drummer, speaking of, but I’m also becoming a better engineer. I can build a song easily with everything at hand. Quick demo with acoustic guitar, then add a drum track, then piano. The guts of a song come together immediately and sound “real.” I, like so many artists, enjoy the famous “imposter syndrome,” never feeling that what I do is legit or that I’m doing things the “right” way. My studio, though, is changing my attitude in that regard. I’m really excited about how my new songs are sounding and how they feel. There has to be a spark, right? Some studios, no matter how slick, don’t have the right vibe. Dark Mystery Temple has the right vibe. Plus, it has a sofa and a TV. Essential studio stuff!

What’s next for you?

Very typically, I’m two records ahead of myself! I’ve just finished the Klaust album. Klaust is my hometown band. The album is a mix of slightly tweaked “normal” pop songs and more krauty-grooved tracks. Klaust is meant to be the final album in the Dark Mystery Temple trilogy. I’ve also got the next next album under way. The working title is World Calls Love and it’s intended to be a proper pop record, my version of “What would ABBA do?” Except it’s already going off the rails! The title track is your standard model 3-minute pop tune, all catchy choruses and jangly guitars, with Dave Gregory and Colin Moulding from XTC booked to play on it, but there are also songs like ‘Rippling Waves Of Cosmic Bliss’ and ‘I Found My Religion,’ which speak more to the mystic side of the pie slice and move in a more proggy and psych stylee. While I’m thrilled with the DMT trilogy, ‘Glitch Wizard,’ ‘Dig The Light’ and ‘Klaust,’ ‘World Calls Love’ feels like a fresh start into the next new whatever.

Klemen Breznikar

Anton Barbeau Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / Bandcamp
Think Like A Key Music Official Website / Facebook / X / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube