I didn't think Arcade Fire's newest single "Afterlife" could get any better, but I've been proven wrong: It could, and it has. Unlike the Spike Jonze-directed "live" music video featuring Greta Gerwig dancing to the song at the YouTube Music Awards, Arcade Fire's new music video for "Afterlife" doesn't focus on the vivid, wild emotions of a relationship ended, but instead is a brilliantly directed piece that explores the dreams of three men dealing with the death of a family member.
The music video, which was directed by Emily Kai Bock (who also directed the music video for "Yet Again" by Grizzly Bear), begins in LA's smog-infested San Fernando Valley, but mostly takes place in the dreams of three men — a father and two sons — shortly after the death of the family's matriarch. Running at just under 8 minutes, the clip is more like a short film than a music video, and manages to explore a ton of emotions and themes in a short timeframe.
The song isn't specifically about dealing with a person's death — judging by the lyrics, it's actually more akin to describing the breakdown of a lengthy relationship — but it does have some verses that suggest mourning something: "Afterlife, I think I saw what happens next/ It was just a glimpse of you, like looking through a window/ Or a shallow sea/ Could you see me?" In the video,
You can check out the video below.
