D.C. crew Deleted Scenes return with their third album on April 15 — the blackened, occasionally squalling, and emotionally raw Lithium Burn, arriving via Park the Van Records. The title comes from the metallic acid reflux frontman Daniel Scheurman experienced while taking the titular drug as a mood stabilizer, and songs like “You Get to Say Whatever You Want” practically quake with cathartic force. Above, you’ll find the track’s video, edited together by the singer and Ben Usie using some of the heaviest footage culled from the Occupy Wall Street movement. Scheurman explains the connection below:
The song’s first lyric was inspired by the image on the news of an Occupy protester spitting in a riot cop’s face. I can’t remember whether the cop showed restraint, or whether the protester got the shit kicked out of him, but the relationship reminded me of something I was experiencing with another person at the time. I identified with the cop, who as an individual had been violated, and faced a choice to retaliate or let it go.
The song is not political by nature, or about Occupy.
It’s a song about the turmoil in the moment of decision between two people in conflict — a major theme in Lithium Burn. The album lingers on moments; split seconds are exploded into song-length ruminations. Time stops, and emotional states are illustrate with details ripped from life. That’s always been my lyrical approach. And the concept for this video — taking scenes from reality that show moral ambiguity —was a natural extension of that.
