Little Green Cars Absolute Zero

Little Green Cars
Absolute Zero

Artwork for the debut album of Little Green Cars.

We were approached by Little Green Cars to design the cover artwork for their debut album, Absolute Zero. When we met with the band, they explained that the album jumps between two contrasting perspectives: the beauty of a reckless youth and the fear and confusion caused by our ever-pending adulthood.

Darkness and Light

Cover art concept

Our concept for the artwork needed to encompass both the light and dark sides of the album. We did this by creating two contrasting images. From the front we see an elegant image of a girl from behind, all seeming well. When the album is turned over, we see that the cover image is deceptive, and the girl is crying and upset, both beautifully illustrated by Steve Doogan.

Band portraits

We also commissioned Steve to create portraits of each band member in the style of the cover illustration. These featured on the inside of the CD booklet tying the cover concept to the inside artwork.

“Dogs are barking there’s a ghost in the room”

Singles artwork

There were two single releases from Absolute Zero, and we worked with Steve again to create two more illustrations in the same style as the album cover artwork. We studied the lyrics, and pulled out imagery that could represent the two songs.

Big Red Dragon

The song speaks of frightened dogs barking, startled by something in the room. We briefed Steve to create the image of an Alsatian on high alert, as though it has noticed something unsettling.

“My love took me down to the river to silence me And when he left, I could not speak”

My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me

This song paints a picture of a person being led down to a river to meet an unfortunate fate. We chose the crow as the symbol for this single. Crows remember the faces of threatening people, and so this one would bear witness to whatever unfolded by the river and remember it. We enjoyed adding to the song’s story with this image.