That thing where we watch all of the music videos that came out in the last few weeks so you don’t have to.
Is Tyler, the Creator the most psychedelic artist of his generation? Despite his substance-free lifestyle, a case could be made, and this self-directed video offers another round of convincing evidence. Its bold bursts of hypercolor turn a typical rap-video image of suicide doors doing donuts into something post-apocalyptic, like the car is being spun by a zombie underneath a nuked sky. In the realm of “OKRA,” the grass is neon green, and the yellow shorts are so blinding that they come with their own seizure warning. The video creates a place of our world, but also not. –RD
Like Bikini Kill’s rebellious queen of the neighborhood, the subject of Soccer Mommy’s “Cool” is impossibly self-assured. When she’s not getting high with her pals, she’s using teenage boys as chew toys, chomping on their bodies and spitting out the heads like a stoner Saturn. In other words, she’s someone you desperately attempt to immolate only to one day realize that you have lost yourself along the way. In this washed out video, Soccer Mommy’s Sophie Allison and her bandmates try not to concern themselves with this vicious beacon of cool, instead searching for their own versions in past trends. In the end, peak coolness for Soccer Mommy comes from just being themselves. –QM
Stephen Malkmus has made a career out of twisting words and guitar chords into shapes that are just recognizable enough to be meaningful. So it makes beautiful sense to match this zagging icon with a clip that’s so simple it hurts. “Time won’t wait for you/To grow,” Malkmus lilts in the intimate performance video, his heel tapping and his eyes closed, as director Brook Linder camera slowly zooms into his 51-year-old face. He’s sitting in an alcove, strumming and singing. That’s it. But that’s more than enough. Surrounded by big houseplants and tree trunks beyond the windowpane behind him, Malkmus looks at home, just another organism working and growing because that’s what he’s here to do. –RD
David Byrne does not star in this official David Byrne video. He doesn’t even sing in it. Instead, the clip features the Detroit School of Arts’ vocal jazz ensemble taking on his latest single. On record, “Everybody’s Coming to My House” is busy and jittering, and not especially welcoming. But these teens—under the watchful eye of their choir director, Cheryl “Ms. V” Valentine—turn the song into a loving, gospel-tinged hug. Filmed in Ms. V’s own living room, the performance is loose and warm, with the students adding humanity to Byrne’s most esoteric lines and turning the song’s hook into a legitimate sing-along. Perhaps the best part is the end, when the kids continue to riff on “Everybody’s Coming to My House” while dancing around Ms. V’s front lawn, giving the song yet another new life. –RD
One of the first shots in this video is a phrase often attributed to Aristotle graffitied on the wall of a garment factory: “To avoid criticism say nothing do nothing be nothing.” The Swedish-Gambian singer Seinabo Sey chooses to ignore this advice and be unabashedly herself in this clip, filmed on location in West Africa. Sey invites the audience into local haunts like an auto shop and an intimate living room, where she candidly explains to the camera that she is no one’s dancing monkey. The lyrics to “I Owe You Nothing” are moving on their own, but paired with the deeply personal images of Sey’s heritage, the video adds another dimension to her art and being. –QM
Leon Bridges’ music videos often become miniature character studies of everyday people moving through the world. The Texas musician is often there too, dancing or playing his guitar like the videos’ Virgil. In “Bad Bad News,” Bridges takes more of a central role as a mirror to the clip’s protagonist, played by model Paloma Elsesser. After an unseen catcaller derails her travel plans, the woman channels her frustrations into a cathartic dance routine. Meanwhile, Bridges boogies in a jam session alongside a jazz band. The pair’s moves are woven together to create a united—though physically separate—euphoria. Finally, the woman catches up to her harasser and appears ready to choke him. But instead she dances; nothing can suppress her joy. –QM
For years, music videos have been used to promote brands and products, oftentimes leading to clips that are both shameless and shameful. So yes, this video is also an Apple commercial. But, frankly, it is a much better music video than it is an Apple commercial. It stars (former music-video dancer) FKA twigs, who plays a mousey urbanite beaten down by packed subway cars, who just wants to hear some decent music as she takes a breath after getting home from work. A new Anderson .Paak song comes on and suddenly—magically—she is able to stretch out her table, couch, and walls, eventually turning her dim shoebox apartment into a rainbow fantasia. Directed by Spike Jonze, one of the greatest video directors to ever do it, the clip is a visual wonder that brings to mind the work of his inventive contemporary, Michel Gondry. It also manages to include a full emotional arc involving twigs’ journey towards self-love; an especially striking bit has her swiping away a mirror in sadness before embracing the person on the other side. The clip serves as a stunning reel for twigs’ forthcoming acting career. And a reminder that Spike Jonze is still a master. And a great excuse to listen to Anderson .Paak. Hey, at least we know some of that iPhone money is going to people who actually deserve it. –RD
For more of Pitchfork’s favorite music videos, check out past columns.
