Steven Wilson's Routine video is anything but routine

Steven Wilson, winner of three prizes at this year’s Prog Magazine Awards, has launched a video for Routine. It’s taken from Hand. Cannot. Erase., the follow-up to 2013’s The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories).

“Amongst the hundreds of songs I have written over the years Routine has a very special place,” says Wilson. “It’s a deeply sad story of loss and denial, but at its conclusion the clouds lift and there is acceptance at least. Having worked with her on three previous videos, I knew as soon as I wrote it that it was perfect for Jess [Cope] to do something amazing with. Even then nothing prepared me for the organic beauty and power of the film she made, a painstaking labour of love that took her months to produce. When we play the song live I look out into the audience and see people swept away with emotion at the combination of music and animation. To find poetry and beauty in sadness is a wonderful thing I think.”

“Routine is the fourth film that Owl House Studio has made in collaboration with Steven Wilson and the biggest one yet,” adds Cope. “The story centres on a woman dealing with the tragic loss of her family and the routine she creates for herself to try and cope. The themes in Steven’s music are often quite morbid and macabre and when we heard Routine for the first time, Tom Kaye [Writer/Producer] and I knew the story had to be really strong, to do justice to the music.

“I’m proud of all the films we’ve made with Steven Wilson, but I’m especially fond of Routine. The response we’ve received has been phenomenal. It’s incredibly humbling to see that something we’ve helped create has touched so many people and reduced a good number of them to tears… It’s an extraordinary and ironic satisfaction! To find poetry and beauty in sadness is a wonderful thing I think.”

Wilson will be starting a European tour in January that reaches the UK late that month, with dates booked in Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester and Newcastle. Last month, he explained his stand against streaming services like Spotify.