The best explanation for Arcade Fire’s video for “Chemistry” probably comes from Win Butler himself. He describes it as “an absurdist version of a Tom & Jerry cartoon.”
The surreal video uses a mix of live action and animation to tell the story of a dog meeting a cat at her wedding to a shark. Sparks fly, cartoon violence ensues, someone gets hit with a satellite while flying through space, it’s a lot more light-hearted than you might expect from the group, but that’s by design. “On the surface, it’s absurd why people are attracted to each other—it makes absolutely no sense,” Win told FLOOD. “I just feel like that’s an experience a lot of people have had and wanted to try to capture that feeling a little bit.”
The band had the chance to work with director Ray Tintori, the man behind MGMT’s videos for “Kids,” “Electric Feel” and “Time to Pretend” and The Killer’s “Spaceman.” The animation for “Chemistry” was handled by Starburns Studio, the folks behind the animated hit Rick and Morty. You can watch the video below:
Back in real life, the band kicked off the European leg of their 'Infinite Content' tour Monday in Rotterdam. The tour is in support of their last album release, 2017's Everything Now. They’ll be back stateside in July for a few dates, then back to Europe, then back to North America, it’s enough to make your head spin a little bit.
Luckily, this isn’t a cartoon, and heads aren’t spinning for real. If your head is spinning for real maybe you should see a specialist about that.
Arcade Fire 2018 Tour Dates:
06/11 – Rotterdam, NL @ Ahoy
06/13 – Zurich, SE @ Hallenstadion
06/15 – Prague, CZ @ O2 Arena
06/17 – Budapest, HU @ Budapest Sport Arena
06/18 – Vienna, AT @ Stadthalle
06/22-24 – Scheeßel, DE @ Hurricane Festival
06/22-24 – Tuttlingen, DE @ Southside Festival
07/08 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
07/07 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theater
07/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
07/12 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
07/14 – Birmingham, Alabama @ Sloss Festival
07/15 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
07/18 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
07/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
07/20 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
08/07-11 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
08/09-11 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
08/10 – Copenhagen, DK @ HAVEN Festival