Katy Perry's "Chained To The Rhythm" Video Is Dark

Katy Perry has been making a huge impact with her new single, "Chained To The Rhythm", giving an amazing performance of the song while wearing a "PERSIST" arm band at the 2017 Grammys. And now, it's time to get excited all over again because Katy Perry's "Chained To The Rhythm" music video is here, and it's a futuristic allegory, with a strong political message.

Never one to shy away from politics, Perry publicly supported Hillary Clinton's campaign, and recently took to the streets for the Women's March on Washington. It's unsurprising that the "Roar" singer's politics have spilled into her music, and it's exciting to see Perry stand up for her beliefs in such a bold way.

The "Chained To The Rhythm" video is set in a futuristic theme park, where people ride on roller coasters that fly through the air, literally. Stylistically, the fashions of the future feature major throwbacks to the 1950s, and Perry's costume changes are to die for. Complete with a perfect pink coifed bob, Perry gradually realizes that she might not quite fit into the world around her. People run on a giant hamster wheel, which is an unsubtle reference to the fast-paced world we're living in, but the repetition that is often felt in our lives on a daily basis.

In a crowd of likeminded individuals, all dressed in similar pastels, it's difficult to take a stand, and Perry finds herself swept up in the routines of the crowd. Couples enter The Great American Drop, which sees people paired up in cute little houses. The ride seems to suggest that we should all want the same thing, that there is no thinking outside of the box.

A ride called Bombs Away appears to hurl bombs into sky without a second thought, while people are chucked over white picket fences by a ride called No Place Like Home. They fall through the air, directionless. The "Chained To The Rhythm" video seems to be referencing the casual way in which war is instigated, and people are treated like disposable objects.

Attendees watch a 3D movie called The Nuclear Family, which features a woman ironing while her husband reads the paper. This is presented as the natural order of things, and is likely a nod to the plethora of recent political changes hindering women's rights. Despite being set in the future, references to the '50s should shock us awake, as policies regarding women's bodies are at risk of becoming just as antiquated as they were back then.

Featuring several allusions to The Stepford Wives, the message of Perry's "Chained To The Rhythm" video is clear: It's easy to breeze through life, unaware of major political upheaval, ignoring the inherent lack of equality, and succumbing to the routines set out for us. But now, more than ever, it's time to wake up, stay vigilant, resist, and persist.

Perry's come a long, long way since "I Kissed A Girl", and as a hardcore fan, I couldn't be happier about her new direction.