Pitchfork

There's a nice combination of motifs in this unsafe-for-work video, directed by Patrick Daughters, which is soundtracked by the lead single from the Liars' forthcoming self-titled record. The "madman behind the wheel in a world he doesn't understand" vibe, in which members of the band take turns driving through a midnight nowhere to escape (or find) some nameless thing, seems a nod to David Lynch's Lost Highway; the woman trying to flag a ride on a lonely country road evokes the Robert Aldrich noir Kiss Me Deadly; the odd shapeshifting visuals, in which figures like a nude middle-aged woman are superimposed on frontman Angus Andrew as he contorts his mouth in agony, are reminiscent of Chris Cunningham's work with Aphex Twin; and the beam of light projecting from the skull, well, we've seen that even more recently. But it all comes together here in a satisfactorily creepy and mysterious way, and there's something fun about watching the men of Liars, who once seemed like they'd be above such a thing, completely throwing themselves into acting. Also, that's the one and only Karen O riding shotgun.