The Smashing Pumpkins Dances With Witches In New Charlotte Kemp Muhl-Directed Music Video For “Wyttch”

The Smashing Pumpkins have released a new music video for their song, “Wyttch,” which was released just before Halloween. The track will be featured on the band’s upcoming album, Cyr, and the video was directed by Charlotte Kemp Muhl.

Cyr, which will be the band’s 11th studio album, is set to be released Nov. 27 via Sumerian Records. It features 20 tracks produced by vocalist Billy Corgan and was recorded in Chicago with founding members James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin and Jeff Schroeder. 

The music video for “Wyttch” is reminiscent of American Horror Story, featuring psychedelic scenes of Corgan in dark makeup singing along with several costumed characters holding skulls, black cats and rats on their heads dancing in front of kaleidoscope screens. The band said in an news release that “Wyttch” delves into the band’s “heavier and darker leanings.” In the news release, the band also teased an announcement for a Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness world tour in 2021. 

The Smashing Pumpkins released “Wyttch” along with another track, “Ramona,” which will also be featured on Cyr, in late October. They’ve released several double singles for Cyr, including  “Anno Satana,” “Birch Grove,” “Confessions of Dopamine Addict,” “Wrath,” “Cyr” and “The Color of Love.” The band had planned on touring sequel to their 1993 Rock Invasion Tour in 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually canceled. 

In October, The Smashing Pumpkins announced they were working on 33-song album following Cyr’s release, which will be the third conceptual album in their series that began with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in 1995 and then Machina in 2000. 

Kemp Muhl, of The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger and Uni, directed the spooky video for the band. Last month, Uni, which also features Jack James and David Strange, released new music video also directed by Muhl for their song “Predator’s Ball.” Uni has released a number of music video in the past couple of years, including “American F*g,” “Destroyer,” “The Girl Who Has It All” and “DDT.” The group sat down for an interview with mxdwn in 2018 in which they discussed their music and their inspirations. 

Cyr tracklist:

1. The Colour of Love
2. Confessions of a Dopamine Addict
3. Cyr
4. Dulcet in E
5. Wrath
6. Ramona
7. Anno Satana
8. Birch Grove
9. Wyttch
10. Starrcraft
11. Purple Blood
12. Save Your Tears
13. Telegenix
14. Black Forest, Black Hills
15. Adrennalynne
16. Haunted
17. The Hidden Sun
18. Schaudenfreud
19. Tyger, Tyger
20. Minerva

Featured image: Alyssa Fried