TV on the Radio Spells ‘Trouble’ In New Music Video: Premiere

The phrase “Don’t worry, be happy” is practically ingrained into our culture, but in their latest video, TV on the Radio tackles the issue of what happens when Bobby McFerrin’s famous maxim just doesn’t cut it anymore.

The band’s latest single, “Trouble,” off of their 2014 album Seeds, picks up where their song “Happy Idiot” — and R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” — left off, pondering the inner lives of everyday people on the street. “I just happen to like looking at people and wondering what’s up,” says Tunde Adebimpe, frontman for TV on the Radio. “We got some people together, some of whom we ran into on the street while we were shooting, and did that. We asked if they could quietly (or not) go to brighter or darker places inside themselves let us be there with them for a little while. Everyone’s sifting through something, right?”

The result is a melodic meditation on loss, living, and the struggle of those left behind. While it sounds dark, the video, which features Adebimpe doling out hugs to those in need, turns out to be surprisingly uplifting.

Watch up top.