Superchunk’s latest album, What A Time To Be Alive, is less than a month old, but it’s likely that the politically charged rage that spawned the record will linger for quite a while. The title notably is not a Drake reference, and takes a phrase that feels commonplace to a much darker place.
One of the band’s long-running strengths is how succinctly they can make their points. And, as frequent purveyors of brief songs, their latest video “Cloud Of Hate” is a reminder of what can be accomplished in a little more than a minute. Because of how brief the cut is, the clip opens with a solid 13 seconds of solid silence to add some time for their mindbending video directed by Japanese artist Taiyo Kimura.
Among the strange visuals is a shot from the bottom of a glass as liquid is sucked out through a straw, some puzzle-piece animation, a trippy-looking salmon filet, and a shot where the North Carolina band shatters into countless pieces. Despite the ambition of the imagery, the thing still feels very homespun and frugal, making the most out of big ideas rather than flashy production.
Check out the video for Superchunk’s “Cloud Of Hate” below, and look for their latest album, What A Time To Be Alive, out now on their own Merge Records.
