Live Review: Enter Smerz' twisted version of reality with their video for 'Worth It'

Norwegian electronic duo SMERZ are no strangers to pushing boundaries. From their experimental, warped take on electro-pop to their trippy and arresting visual accompaniments, every element of Smerz' art takes you somewhere you haven't been before. They've just dropped a video for 'Worth It', aiming their sights on our cosmopolitan reality.

The video has dropped alongside their EP Have Fun, a collection of unreleased tracks mixed with some more recent cuts like 'Half Life' and 'No Fun'. Like the videos for the aforementioned tracks dropped last year, the video for 'Worth It' is directed and produced by the duo, and works in perfect harmony with their unique sound.

'Worth It' commands your attention from the very first frame, with dark, lo-fi lighting and an unnatural mid-angle shot. Models walk down a runway as they would in any fashion show, yet it seems almost sinister alongside the music and the bizarre framing. In time with breaks in the music, the cinematography switches to erratic handheld shots, zooming in on faces or bodies seemingly at random. Towards the end the video forgoes live action in favour of bizarre 3D models. From a weirdly realistic face to renderings of models and clothes in a black void, to a bottle of perfume titled 'Worth It' floating in an icy tundra, the visuals here are hyper surreal and utterly unique.

Really, the entire video does a stunning job at triggering that 'uncanny valley' feeling in you from the very start. The glitchy, at times inhuman vocals and erratic, warped beats harmonise perfectly with the surreal visuals, creating an undercurrent of weird creepiness you can't quite put your finger on. Every aspect, from the lighting and framing to the use of 3D models has been meticulously chosen for an explicit purpose, and once you submerge yourself in the world of Smerz, you might be able to wrap your head around it.

Smerz' EP Have Fun is out now via XL Recordings and Remote Control

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

WORDS BY MAX LEWIS

WATCH MORE MUSIC VIDEOS HERE

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