After Ours – “Different Now” (Video Premiere)

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After Ours, the musical project of Kayla Janowitz, is releasing her music video today for a key song called “Different Now.” From the After Ours new LP of Imaginary Friend that releases on June 6th, this single dances around self-reflection and the realization that we can all find solace in self-healing. I was also able to catch up with Kayla for a brief interview below. If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider pre-saving Imaginary Friend here.

The video for “Different Now” has a nostalgic, camcorder-style aesthetic—what inspired that visual direction, and how does it reflect the emotions of the song?

When my friend Alex Greenberg and I set out to make this music video, all we really knew was that we were going on a week long road trip. No itinerary-just a loose plan to head south and hope nothing broke along the way (though I did break the Polaroid camera within the first two days). The visual direction was entirely Alex’s. He’s traditionally a skate filmer, so he approached it authentically and mindfully- documenting the journey as it unfolded.

The song itself starts with just me and a guitar, slowly building before releasing into something much bigger. I think the way we portrayed the trip mirrors that arc- and the editing process really helped bring that emotional build to life. There’s a sense of heaviness lifting as the video goes on. From crying alone to shotgunning a beer, that shift becomes real and visible. Alex helped visually create an honest and accurate representation of the song-one that reflects both the weight of heartbreak and the freedom that follows.

There’s a raw, almost documentary-like feel to the video—were the clips staged, or are they pulled from real moments in your life?

99% of the video unfolded like a documentary- unscripted and a little unhinged. There was me, shooting a shotgun for the first time with a 15 year old, getting hammered in Asheville, and stumbling on a thrifted shirt and dress I threw on and didn’t really take off for the rest of the shoot. It wasn’t planned, but somehow it all fit. The only part I filmed later was the crying scene, alone in my room after we got home-something quiet and intentional. It felt necessary, like the final emotional thread tying it all together.

As the closing track and visual for Imaginary Friend, how do you see “Different Now” tying the album together thematically and emotionally?

”Different Now” was the final song I wrote for the record, and it immediately felt like the missing piece that brought everything together. This song ties the whole project together by honoring the emotions I once felt, was feeling at the time, and anticipated feeling in the future. As the essential grand finale, it gently weaves together the lingering emotions, unanswered questions, and scattered thoughts from songs written months and even years before.

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