How to Destroy Angels: Welcome Oblivion (Columbia, 3/5/13)
Post-industrial collective How to Destroy Angels has put out two EPs of haunting, glitchy pop, made our 2012 end-of-year lists, and generally proved that despite the hiatus of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor remains a creative force.
In March of this year, we’ll finally get a proper full-length from the band, which also includes Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maandig, and Rob Sheridan.
Directed by Shynola, the video for “How Long?” is equal parts The Road and Lord of the Flies. A young boy moves through a nighttime desert, the dead reflections in his eyes reminiscent of nothing so much as video footage of Serengeti predators. His primeval stalk, interrupted by the discovery of another traveler, is soundtracked by the surprisingly poppy sound of the song, with Maandig crooning beautifully over an upbeat melody that can’t quite hide the darkness in her words.