Just in time for Halloween (and international viral epidemics), So. Cal band Night Riots dropped their haunting video for their new single, “Contagious,” and it’s brooding, restless, and totally infectious.
The considerably talented band — who recently signed to Sumerian Records — has made a slight detour from the ghost of Robert Smith’s “cheerier” past (shades of Wish are all over Night Riots’ earlier records, particularly during their days as PK) into darker territory (I perfer to picture them recording in a candlelit crypt and only surfacing above ground after the midnight hour), and “Contagious” seats them comfortably alongside the melodic anxiety and alarm Interpol’s known for, with an added bonus of New Wave paranoia and perfectly layered, textured harmonies.
The video’s pure mood and abandonment with synth-synced strobe flashes and, in keeping with their John Hughes-themed “Back To Your Love” video, keeps the ’80s vibes going with a skeleton dancer who shakes out some total Cobra Kai vibes that mesh well with the band’s Outsiders aesthetic. Camera, action, lights.
Tamar Anitai
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