Following the first glimpse into Welfare Jazz, last week Viagra Boys shared the video for their newest track “Creatures” — a nightmarish commentary about a flamboyant character and his existence and role in society. The thing with the video for “Creatures” is the expectation of the viewer: you want it to be a comedic Billy Madison-meets-Marie Antoinette illusion where frontman Sebastian Murphy, is unaware of the present and dances around worry-free as we all think egomaniacal rich people do. I guess, we are under the impression the band is all about debauchery with no responsibilities, and it’s nice to see we are wrong and after all — and yes, with synths, sax and a more tamed voice than before — we see a personal transition and by the end we realize that sometimes we’re so full of ourselves we get ourselves and only ourselves to be fed. As in our own egos are the only fuel into our demise. “I used to live there / Under the water / I couldn’t breathe / I didn’t bother / As long as I had some old microchip to keep me up at night”. Routines like this will make you think, when do you know it’s enough? The reality is that “Creatures” is a window into Murphy’s own personal nightmare, where he is not overjoyed by life, or even the possibilities of nihilistic behavior, but presents himself defeated maybe by the reality of life’s backlash to his own psyche.
Welfare Jazz is out on January 8, 2021 via YEAR0001.
