Before you hit play, the video for psych-rock quintet Hopewell’s cover of Brian Eno’s “Needle in the Camel’s Eye” seems firmly rooted in the 1970s. It’s a ’70s song, inspired by two performance–art pieces from the ’70s…this should be a throwback, right? Watch it and prepare for a wild juxtaposition.
The opening shot looks like something out of a found-footage horror flick. Disturbing BDSM veins its way through the video, while the “Shoot” performance-art piece here resembles nothing more than an execution by firing squad, complete with last cigarette. Contrasted with the upbeat vocals of Ride’s Mark Gardener and the bright instrumentation, Hopewell’s version of “Needle in the Camel’s Eye” might be the happiest nihilism ever expressed.