It's not a travelogue. And it's not a romance story. It's a Thriller, burningly slowly over the course of five minutes where it becomes clearer and clearer that something awful may befall Childish Gambino and Jhene Aiko while on their romatic escapade in Hawaii. Just make sure you stayed tuned even if you think you've got it all figured out, because believe me: You know nothing about what lurks at the heart of this one.
What starts as a spinning performance — perhaps in homage to a disco ball? — turns into a complex world where Broken Bells singer James Mercer moves from place to place on a rotating set.
Director Joel Kefali and tUnE-yArDs frontwoman Merrill Garbus put their affection for Pee-Wee's Playhouse front-and-center in this "tribute" to the show. With a slight air of Wonder Showzen and "Move Your Feet"-style animation thrown in the mix. Why can't all Saturday morning kids' programming be this ecstatic anymore?
It might take a rewatching or two to piece together the mystery here — which is a smart trick for a music video — but you'll realize right off the bat that something is eerily wrong as a woman wakes up to an empty bed and then stumbles through a drunken date with a young man who looks very much like the prime suspect in a local murder spree...
We glide forward with the momentum of "Seven Nation Army" along a "Lost Highway," but with a noir vibe all its own and a centerpiece that makes clear that neither Cults member will be able to get back where they began.
The refrain is "we come together" and the video is a nearly nude Brandon Boyd erotically rolling around with a similarly stripped woman in milky waters.
Miley would be proud.
Sons Of The Sea is a the new project from the Incubus singer and producer Brendon O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bruce Springsteen, Stone Temple Pilots, Incubus and way more).
Paramore's Hayley Williams has played this role for hip-hop before — see Airplanes, B.O.B. — so it's not a surprise to see her ushering an EDM artist into the anthemic stratosphere. While both Zedd and Hayley are in the video, the real stars are the dancers who perform an elaborate choreographed routine in which they realize that a relationship is over.
Even if the eviction notice is a typical video ruse — unless Saul Levitz moonlights as a slumlord — it does give a reason for the rooftop party that caps off what could easily double as a commercial for the Brooklyn lifestyle (in all its diversity).
