U2 has been a political band pretty much from their inception. And though their sights have widened from their native Ireland to global poverty, the AIDS crisis, and even American politics in the ensuing years, the band has made it a mission to not lose sight of worthy causes, regardless of how big the band has gotten.
For their music video for Songs Of Experience single “Get Out Of Your Own Way,” the rock legends turned over creative control to Broken Fingaz Crew, an Israeli graffiti collective who have earned renown for their trailblazing and brutal are pieces in their native Haifa. The two parties previously collaborated on “American Soul,” but this one finds the art crew using U2’s music and their own animation skills to convey a message of both hope and horror.
Broken Fingaz Crew described the video in the press release:
“The video addresses the current political situation: 2017 for us was the year fascists worldwide felt confident enough to raise their heads again, encouraged by Trump and other world leaders, who use people’s fear to build more walls and segregation.
The song is both a personal letter and a clarion cry to the global situation, and in the same way, we’ve combined our psychedelic pop style with political imagery; shot entirely analogue, using paper cut and stop motion animation techniques in collaboration with Adam Albo, who edited the video.”
Indeed, the video has plenty of Trump and KKK imagery and juxtapose it with the subtle, optimistic signifiers of global unity and peace. Watch the clip above.
