[Cover photo credit to Lizzy Kweller]
Ben Kweller has revealed the anime-inspired animated music video for his new single, “Optimystic.” This marks the debut animation by Dallas, TX-based tattoo artist/musician Mistery Matter.
The track is “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.”
Kweller also recently discussed the origins of the song and video in a feature on Consequence.
The Grammy Award-nominated Rock artist’s journey through grief and loss has led to the creation of the album Cover The Mirrors, arriving via The Noise Company on Friday, May 30, 2025, the day that would’ve been Dorian Zev’s 19th birthday.
Kweller says about the video:
I’ve been a huge fan of Mistery Matter’s art for years. 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 collective known for their own music as well as backing combo for Leon Bridges, Kris Kristofferson, and others. Currently serving as musical director for 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.
Matter says:
“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.”
Kweller’s seventh studio album, Cover The Mirrors 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 Coconut Records (“Depression”).
