Canadian producer and electro-pop singer Grimes, born Claire Boucher, originally wrote the song “Go” for Rihanna — but it was turned down. Though RiRi probably would have taken it and made it awesome, the way things turned out is just fine. Grimes and collaborator Blood Diamonds decided to claim the track for themselves, releasing it in June. In her hands, the track features screams and drops and echoes; it’s dreamy and it’s weird and works wonderfully.
Now, the song has a video to go with it, it’s completely nuts. Like, next-level crazy — and we mean that in a good way.
The video, co-directed by Grimes and her brother Mac, was inspired by Dante’s Inferno, as she explains on her Tumblr. The different scenes represent a contemporary take on Dante’s infamous circles of Hell. (The EDM clubbing scenes really nail it, because really, what’s more hellish than that?)
Visually, Grimes explains, the video also takes cues from X-Men, Metal Gear and Dune. You’ll also note some pretty clear Game of Thrones influence, along with dancing mimes, epic treks through sand dunes, flashing lights, fish-eye shots, and even some throwback Adidas flip-flops. Yep: this video is nuts. Watch up top.
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