Just in time for spooky season, The Maggie Valley Band’s video for “I’m Gonna Die” offers some high-quality macabre visuals. But for sisters Caroline Miller (bass/vocals) and Whitney Miller (guitar/vocals), it’s business as usual.
“We love the overall imagery of skeletons — we’ve used it on merch and album covers consistently,” Caroline says. “The constant reminder that this life doesn’t last forever is heavily impactful to us. If we can sneak the theme of life and death into anything, we will.”
For its first video shot outside of Western North Carolina, the Maggie Valley Band traveled to Flowery Branch in Northeast Georgia to work with director Akshay Thomas of Andromeda Films, and also made a filming stop in Atlanta. Whitney says it was Thomas’ idea to incorporate skeleton masks and prominently feature a pizza parlor — all signs that he was the right person for the job.
“I was like, ‘He already knows us so well,” Whitney says. “And that was before we had even met face-to-face.”
While the lyrics of “I’m Gonna Die” and much of the video confront such daily horrors as overdue bills and general existential ennui, the Millers are also fans of scary movies. Among Caroline’s favorites are The Ring, Insidious and The Crazies. And while Whitney closes her eyes during the especially creepy parts — “Otherwise, those guys follow me everywhere,” she says — she’s fond of more atmospheric, thematically rich fare like The Village.
The single is The Maggie Valley Band’s latest collaboration with Asheville-based producer Matt Langston, following the group’s 2022 album Breakdown. In addition to Langston’s technical skills, both of the Millers cite his kindness as a reason to keep working with him — and hint that additional jams could be on the way soon.
“I’m just going to say there just might be more music ahead in 2024,” Caroline says.
