Check out this video for “Fool”, from Perfume Genius’ intense and captivating new album, Too Bright.
After previously releasing videos for “Queen” and “Grid”, both also songs off of Too Bright, Michael Hadreas, also known by his stage name Perfume Genius, has released “Fool”, the aesthetic of which is extremely similar to the previous two he has released. What makes this video engaging is the combination of the seemingly ordinary mundane with the unexplainably strange.
The lighting throughout seems to capture some moment a long time ago when fluorescent lighting was used on set; the light glare on certain objects like the candles and faded wash of a lot of the shots creates a sterile yet ethereal environment, whose haze is matched effortlessly by Hadreas’ voice, especially in the scene from which the screen shot above was taken. The dissolves in this scene create a sense of continuity, which is interesting because there is no forward motion in those moments. Another moment that creates interesting thematic movement is the transition from the shot of the bird at the end of the occult religious ritual to modern dance routine review, which strangely enough uses the cashier from the grocery store as a judge.
We are in Britain, as the currency is British, and we move from a suburban lane through a grocer, to a cult religious ritual, to end up at this modern dance routine, where the characters from the ritual are transformed, most likely by the power of those golden rollerblades.
The release of Too Bright, which is out on Matador, will be promoted by a prodigious tour through the Eastern United States, including a show in NYC, at Stage 48. The music video was co-produced by Urban Outfitter as the 20th part of their UO Music Video Series, and uses the same director as “Grid”, Charlotte Rutherford. Enjoy it below!
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