alt-J delivered the third single from its upcoming album, The Dream, on Wednesday in the form of “Hard Drive Gold”. The fourth album from the British indie, art-rock band is out on February 11th, 2022, via Canvasback/Atlantic.
Everything about “Hard Drive Gold” is decidedly modern, from the sleek instrumentation and Joe Newman‘s brooding vocals to the lyric’s confrontation of cryptocurrency and the video’s depiction of the apocalypse. Though existing independently, these elements all come together to further bolster one another like a never-ending cycle of artistic development.
The lyrics take a tongue-in-cheek look at the sensation of overnight adolescent millionaires created by the cryptocurrency boom. One enterprising young individual proclaims their riches to neighbors, teachers, and the entire world while chanting “don’t be afraid to make to make money boy.”
“It’s the story of the ultimate childhood fantasy, the schoolboy who becomes a millionaire overnight, and the different interactions he has with people in his life from teachers to neighbors,” Newman said in a press release. “How ironically you interpret its message is entirely up to you…”
Related: Portugal. The Man Covers “Steal My Sunshine” Ahead Of Tour With alt-J [Audio/Video]
Meanwhile, the video, which marks Newman’s directorial debut, takes on the ever-present fear of the end of days. Rather than armageddon arriving via a viral disease, death rains down from above in the video as everyone is instructed to shelter indoors. Instead, our protagonist takes up her vaulting pole for one last jump. All this occurs as the refrain “don’t be afraid to make to make money boy” rings out in defiance of the looming end of mankind, with the video arriving at a time when millions across the United States are encouraged to return to work despite rocketing COVID-19 cases.
“Growing up enjoying cinema greatly I saw our music videos as opportune moments for directors to create stories purely and so we the band did not appear in our videos,” Newman said of his video. “By avoiding cuts to a band playing in an ‘airplane hanger’ the audience could focus on the cinema over the indie band music video tropes.”
Watch the new music video for “Hard Drive Gold” by alt-J and click here to pre-order The Dream. The band is gearing up for an arena tour of the U.S. with Portugal. The Man set to begin on February 25th in Pittsburgh, PA. For tickets and a full list of dates visit alt-J’s website.
alt-J – “Hard Drive Gold” (Official Video)