“We have been overrun by our animal desire,” Maynard James Keenan croons at the opening of A Perfect Circle‘s most recent single “Disillusioned.” “Addicts of the immediate keep us obedient and unaware.” The song’s elaborate new video follows up explicitly on these sentiments. It centers around a cult of young people glued to their phones, which radiate with a blinding, otherworldly glow. Hooded leaders of the enclave wander around with VR goggles.
“Time to put the silicon obsession down,” Keenan sings, just as the elders are about to invest a young member with the power of a flashing orb of energy in the middle of a slithering bundle of wires, and give her some strange contact lenses. Meanwhile, the world outside the indoor colony of plugged-in youths looks barren, and lightning flashes in the sky. Out there, our protagonist makes a discovery–about the power of IRL fire. She takes her contacts out, puts her phone down, and a new world opens up to her.
The clip is directed by Alex Howard, and it’s an ambitious and admirable effort, even in its hilarious self-seriousness. A Perfect Circle’s new album, Eat the Elephant, comes out on April 20 on BMG. Watch the “Disillusioned” video below.
