In addition to Pity Party, another group is releasing high-quality video footage of local musicians. Four UGA students—Connor Gruver, Vann Johnson, Deane Lawton and Lane Marie Stough—initiated BackLight Productions to showcase Athens musicians in a relatable, accessible and honest environment.

By combining interview and performance footage, BackLight’s engaging videos give deeper, more intimate looks into the lives of the artists. The result is a cinematic experience that weaves introspective conversation in between glimpses of at-home performance. “With rising bands like these in a music town like Athens, familiarity is key,” Gruver says. “[BackLight] lets fans—or not-yet-fans—experience the life of the band’s art in a complete way.”

Currently, BackLight Productions has released two videos via Vinyl Mag featuring Neighbor Lady and Mosaic. Although the latter video is in a studio-style setting, BackLight intends to mostly stay with “cozy” surroundings; the Neighbor Lady video was filmed at the band’s house. “They had so many cool knickknacks lying around, you could just tell that it was very lived-in,” Lawton says. “It revealed a lot about their personality, and their dogs joined them on the couch.”

Instead of using social media to raise exposure in Athens (a market the group describes as “highly saturated”), BackLight plans to continue to use genuine, personable interactions to drive intrigue. “We’ve all been in agreement from the beginning to showcase the bands in a way that people really enjoy,” Gruver says. “We don’t really want hype to drive exposure, and I don’t think the bands do either.”