Ben Kweller has unveiled the alt-anime official music video for his harrowingly powerful new single, “Optimystic.” The debut animation by Dallas, TX-based tattoo artist/musician Mistery Matter, the companion visual is streaming now on YouTube. 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, “Optimystic” is available now at all streaming services.
The GRAMMY Award-nominated rocker’s subsequent journey through grief and loss has led to one of the most anticipated albums of 2025, Cover The Mirrors, arriving via The Noise Company on Friday, May 30 – a day that would’ve been Dorian Zev’s 19th birthday. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Mistery Matter’s art for years.” Kweller says. “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 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.
Kweller’s seventh studio album, Cover The Mirrors sees the much-beloved Texas-based singer-songwriter walking through the fire of heartbreaking grief with intention and purpose. 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. Now, with Cover The Mirrors, Ben Kweller devotes that deep well of emotions to his music, offering a chance to witness one of the great singer/songwriters at their creative peak.
