While it’s hardly a lost or dying art, the music video – at least in the most vague, abstract sense – doesn’t have the same impact it did in the 80s through the end of the 00s. That’s not to say there haven’t been great music videos since then (there are in fact, countless incredible videos coming out every year). But due to the way the internet has changed and dissolved monolithic media consumption – in contrast to the days when 1) MTV still played music videos and 2) the videos you saw were whatever they chose to broadcast – that does mean that most of the best videos out there are flying in under the radar.

This is especially true if you look at the local level. Today, Boston rapper WHYTRI is dropping a new video for his song “UGHK.” Clocking in at 1:28, it’s a quickie, but the rapper makes the most of this time. There’s nothing overwrought about it: shot in a field off I-93, a pedestrian underpass tunnel and a few marshy stalks serve as set pieces. It’s simple but effective. In the artist’s own words, “Even when I shoot simple videos with light scenes, we take a lot pride in trying to make it as creative and different as possible.”

The visuals are pretty captivating, with a few subtle visual effects and set pieces that offer a stark yet dreamy quality. “With this video,” WHYTRI explains, “the goal was to keep it grimey but experimental. I was inspired by crop circles and the movie NOPE and thought the aesthetic would just fit the song perfectly. We wanted [to give off] the idea that I may have been transported here and don’t know what’s really going on.” WHYTRI worked on the song with Jon Glass and brought in Poortfolios to direct the video, with additional footage by SINWAV.

But what good is a cool video without a great song to stand on? The heavy bass and minimal beat offer WHYTRI plenty of space to play around lyrically. There’s a smoothness to both his syncopated flow and his deep voice, which carries enough gruff to engage the listener without ever feeling overly aggressive in a showy way. It’s a release that will certainly leave you eager to hear more from this performer.

Check out WHYTRI’s video for “UGKH” below, hosted on YouTube via Club Ambition.