Following “Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream” and “Kill V. Maim,” Grimes has dropped the third video from her awesome 2015 album Art Angels.
“The things they see in me, I cannot see myself / When you get bored of me, I’ll be back on the shelf,” she sings on “California,” and the accompanying video seems to play with Grimes’ ideas of what fans and music critics might expect from her. We see Grimes in a beret sweeping an art studio floor, Grimes as a mermaid, Grimes twirling a ribbon in a gymnasium painted with bright, Mondrian-style colors, Grimes performing on stage in a cowboy hat and spangly stars ‘n’ stripes dress, and a woman who looks like Grimes dressed in Marie Antoinette garb (which harkens back to the “Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream” video).
Then again, maybe there’s no need to analyze this video too much. Co-directed by Grimes and her brother Mac, it’s a playful and kaleidoscopic affair which shows Grimes dancing unselfconsciously to the song’s “Pon de Replay”-style stomp. Oh, and as an added bonus the track itself has been given a subtle reggaeton remix especially for the video. Thank you again, Grimes.
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Text Nick Levine