Coming back from an impressive run at SXSW, Speedy Ortiz shared on Wednesday the latest single off their forthcoming album Twerp Verse, “Lean In When I Suffer.”
The video opens on singer-guitarist Sadie Dupuis, despondent and dressed outrageously, when a cheery clown invites her to a session with “The Happiness Consultants.” There, the clown and her helpers try to school Speedy Ortiz in smile exercises and yoga classes, while juxtaposing the classes with footage of fiery crashes to prove things could always be worse. When the lessons inevitably fail, the clown boots the band, but the clip ends on a sweet note when Dupuis bonds with an equally dispirited stranger.
“‘Lean In When I Suffer’ is about that fun breed of “ally” who wears out their already exhausted friends by relying on us for excessive emotional labor,” said Dupuis about the meaning of the song and video. “They want props for their wokeness, but don’t want to put in any actual work or divest themselves of power. They just taaaake uuuup spaaaace, and shut down when you try to talk them through their problematic tendencies. Because #selfcare? So you’re stuck in a toxic vampiric loop trying to maintain a relationship—Lean In AND Suffer, why don’t you!”
Through the music video, director Ari Ratner wanted to address the annoyance found when people misunderstand depression and offer their unqualified help. This sentiment struck a chord with the band, who found this grievance “relatable as hell.” The music video to “Lean in When I Suffer” gives examples of uninformed suggestions people give to someone battling depression such as “choose happiness,” “try yoga” or “just smile.”
“People give unsolicited advice about how to beat depression. [They] typically fail to acknowledge depression as a real illness and often minimize the experiences of the person they are trying to help.” says Dupuis in her statement.
The “Crayola-bright” illustrations, created by Julia Emiliani, juxtapose the serious themes presented in the song’s lyrics. The music video ends with Dupuis finding a friend. The clown therapists give the band their instruments and Speedy Ortiz perform in a brightly decorated room.
Check out the music video below.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
Leave a Comment