Guess which globe-striding artist made the best music video of the 2017 year according to Time Out Magazine New York? Of all the Kiwi musicians making waves internationally right now, its not Lorde, Harding or Reid, but Jonathan Bree and his Lil’ Chief Records winning the top pick accolade.

Jonathan Bree’s music video for his single You’re So Cool has had more than 1.5 million views on Youtube since release in late August this year. (And that already decent number is sure to take a jump over the coming days.)

While it’d be nice to assume local views make up a decent chunk of that, the greater likelihood is that it’s Bree’s international fans doing all the watching. As writer and musician Gareth Shute notes, Time Out New York says it’s “…not ‘one of the best’, THE BEST. Kind’a funny to receive a bit of overseas acclaim for a music video in an era when there’s no local TV shows that would play it.”

Directed by Bree himself with help of local talent such as remarkably young director of photography Benjamin Zambo, the NZ On Air-funded video forYou’re So Cool  features a classic ’60s music TV studio scene with all the ‘so cool’ performers eerily faceless.

“New Zealander Jonathan Bree is 50% of The Brunettes, 50% of Lil’ Chief Records and 100% the boldest and weirdest music video director working today. He dreams up trippier sights for his already trippy sounds for 2017’s best video from the 1960s,” said Time Out NY.

Check out who he was up against on Time Out NY’s the full list of top 18 music videos of 2017