Ben Kweller has released a music video for his harrowingly powerful new single, “Optimystic.” The debut animation by Dallas, TX-based tattoo artist/musician Mistery Matter. A brutal expression of the emotions Kweller felt shortly after losing his 16-year-old son Dorian Zev Kweller in a freak car accident, in February of 2023. The track is off the GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist forthcoming album Cover The Mirrors, arriving via The Noise Company on Friday, May 30th, a day that would’ve been Dorian Zev’s 19th birthday.

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.”

Cover The Mirrors sees was Recorded October 2024 at NoiseCo Studio in Dripping Springs, TX with tour mates Chris Mintz-Plasse (bass) and Ryan Dean (drums), the 12-song collection features guest performances by an array of friends and fellow musicians, including Waxahatchee (“Dollar Store”), MJ Lenderman (“Oh Dorian”), The Flaming Lips (“Killer Bee”), and Jason Schwartzman’s highly acclaimed mid-aughts musical project Coconut Records (“Depression”). Despite the profound heartache and sadness that has filled the years since Dorian’s passing, Kweller’s open-eyed honesty about grief and loss has been an inspiration to people around the world.

Pre-order Cover The Mirrors HERE