Pittsburgh metal band Code Orange debuted a new music video for “Autumn and Carbine” on Adult Swim’s Toonami on Saturday, January 23. It was animated by frontman Eric “Shade” Balderose and Jami Morgan of NOWHERE2RUN Productions in the time since the song came out on their last record Underneath in March 2020.
Largely, it’s an alternative metal track with chugging guitar riffs leading the vocal melody along. It sounds like it could’ve been the soundtrack to an early 2000s skate video, but it’s energetic, catchy and the highly-detailed production points it towards the future. Thematically, the lyrics seem to be about frustration with people in power, while also referring to other societal problems, “Now you’re a pile of pills and a pile of leaves/Boss man’s posthumous hit factory/He sleeps in silk sheets while you rest in peace/Culture’s black eye like the girls you beat.”
The video is set in an autumnal dystopian future where slaves walk through the streets and destitute aliens look on at them. Establishing action shows a children’s entertainer with a mohawk and face tattoos dance for money and gives it all to a capitalist master. Two versions of the band are seen throughout the video, one version of them motion-captured as chrome cyborgs playing the song at a broadcasted concert and the other a futuristic armored hit squad that sets out to take down the capitalist masters.
Code Orange also put a couple limited edition “Autumn and Carbine” merchandise options on their webstore, a shirt and a scented candle. The band formed in 2008 and has been growing in popularity ever since. The current lineup is Eric “Shade” Balderose on electronics/guitar/vocals, Jami Morgan on drums/vocals, Reba Meyers on guitar/vocals, Dominic Landolina on guitar and Joe Goldman on bass. In 2020, they joined Slipknot for their Knotfest livestream along with Underoath.