Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire have released an infectious new animated video for the song “Chemistry” from the international number one album Everything Now. The album was released in September and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. The band is also graciously known for winning album of the year honors at the 2011 Grammys for The Suburbs.
The video was directed by Ray Tintori, animated by Starburns Industries and features Tootie Toots of Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce fame. The video tells a story of a dog and cat who meet and fall in love at her wedding reception where he is working as a caterer and she is marrying a shark.
Tintori has done work on videos for MGMT, Charlift and Moses Sumney. “We’ve been big fans of Ray’s work since his early videos and there was talk of collaborating during The Suburbs shoot–we were going to film it in New Orleans but then it got moved to Austin at the last minute, and Ray was caught up working on Beasts of the Southern Wild. So it was very full circle to finally be working with him in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. There is a playful, carnivalesque energy to the song; to capture that by filming literally during carnival felt right,” said the band.
The video’s main characters are relentless much like Arcade Fire and their approach to new material. The video could possibly be an indication that they are not quite done with experimenting on the diverse sounds of Everything Now. The 2017 album is the bands fifth record and the follow up to 2013s Reflektor as they continue to push the boundaries of indie rock.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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