If we are approaching the end times, then we might as well have a shoegaze soundtrack and some sexy goth visuals. Enter Jimi Lucid. You may know Jimi from their last sit-down with PAPER, Enjoy’s "Scariest House I’ve Ever Seen," or their past EP Genesis.
This time, we’re lucky enough to debut Jimi’s new music video for “Hell’s Country.”
Sonically, it is the modern love child between Deftones and My Bloody Valentine, except with intentionally clearer-sounding lyrics, which is somewhat of a departure from the traditional shoegaze vocals we’re accustomed to. Jimi didn’t want listeners to necessarily have to sit down and decipher the lyrics the way people may do (or at least attempt to) with groups like Cocteau Twins. The message is meant to be clear.
Jimi Lucid tells PAPER: “The song for me is about being an artist in this political climate, and a young person in general. How things are now leaves less room for creatives, and that’s something I was struggling with. The whole song is encapsulated by comparing the country to a hellish landscape, but by saying ‘your guns can’t harm me,’ which is the statement of being an artist. If you’re an artist standing for something, even if you’re harmed, or die, or are silenced, then you can’t really get destroyed.”
Even while filming the music video, a passerby tried to fight Jimi Lucid, questioning the crew about why they were using a giant cross and what the intentions were. “This kid was willing to fight me over whatever he thought I was doing just because I was wearing heels. So I explained that everybody’s connection to God is different, and I’m expressing my own kind of thing.”
Despite the song’s tone being serious and culturally reflective, Jimi wanted to have fun with the visuals: “I thought, ‘What if I treated it like a rap video?’ It’s Chief Keef meets Ethel Cain, which really encapsulates everything. Everything I did before was cool, but this time I just said ‘Fuck it.’ I’m going for everything I want to go for.”
As we see it, the joint directorial vision between Jimi Lucid and Nat Cherry created the perfect hedonist Bushwick fantasy for when the doomsday clock strikes midnight. Sort of like the ending scene of Fight Club once all the buildings are blown to smithereens.
If there was a director’s cut, then the only thing left to do would be to have a post-apocalyptic four way makeout sesh. Maybe we can’t save the world; we might as well save rock music, and have fun while we’re still here.
Photography by Rachel Filler
Guitarist: Mila Culpa
Studio: Corpus Studios
Music Video Shot by Nat Cherry (co-directed by Jimi Lucid)
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