Live Review: WATCH: Is Tropical 'Lover's Cave' (Official Video)

I had a strange sense of Deja Vu as I went to write an article on the new video for IS TROPICAL's latest single 'Lovers Cave'. Once again, I was warned of an intense NSFW occasion by the presser that arrived in my inbox this morning.

And even though I'm told that you can watch the clip on YouTube if your account says your over 18 years of age (and let's be honest, who's isn't?) - once the URL is clicked, I received the following from YouTube...

"This video has been removed as a violation of YouTube's policy on nudity or sexual content. Sorry about that. :/"

This message reigns of the time a couple of months back where the same UK based 3-piece broke the internet with a clip directed by French team, MEGAFORCE, that depicted a teenage boy engaging of activities of a sexual nature, with Sims-like-animated women, in his own imagination. If you haven't seen it, please do. It's great.

And it seems that IS TROPICAL obviously enjoy to take some risks with their video clips, as the aforementioned message only means that the clip for 'Lovers Cave' is going to be equally or possibly more intense that it's predecessor. And in another win for Vimeo and slice of Deja Vu, you can watch the clip un-edited, un-cut, un-restricted over there. So I did.

This time around the band got controversial cult New York photographer Richard Kern to take on the directorial duties, who in the past directed videos for the likes of Sonic Youth and Marlyn Manson, and whose work has been exhibited at MOMA, The Whitney Museum and in solo shows around the world. He also has been known to have an invested interest in nudity - especially in females - and that brings us to full circle to 'Lovers Cave'.

Immediately it's clear that IS TROPICAL have taken a slightly different tact in comparison to 'Dancing Anymore'. Whilst the latter was based within the mind, and can be excused as being mostly animation- 'Lovers Cave' is more like looking at a 4 minute long advertisement for American Apparel underwear.

As the viewer is led into a room where the band is performing around a myriad of barely clothed (some completely naked) women, you can understand where Kern is coming from, as the track was inspired by a story IS TROPICAL were told when playing a show on the beach in Anglet, Southern France. The story tells about a 'lover's cave' or Chambre D'Amour, where two young lovers went to for a bit of romance, but got swept out to sea when the tide came in. And you can see the similarities; as the youths surrounding the band dive into the 'lover's cave', they then lose their rational minds and essentially are swept out to sea in a different sense.

And although you're in for many a nip, butt, see through pantie and the like - you take it for what it is. Just a light-hearted fun clip, shot and directed well all whilst maintaining a link to the lyrical nature of its soundtrack. It's never going to make as much of a fuss as 'Dancing Anymore' (seriously, go watch that!) did, nor is it as genuinely creative or imaginative. But it's still better than the majority of clips thrown around these days.

But yeah, don't watch it at work. Or at home if others are around. Or on public transport. Because let's be honest, everyone is going to think you're watching soft-core porn.

The 'Lover's Cave' Single package is out on 26TH August via Kitsune/PIAS/Cooperative Music. The single is taken from IS TROPICAL's sophomore LP, I'm Leaving, which is out now.

Words: Tom Hutchins

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WATCH MORE NEW CLIPS HERE

SEE ALSO:

WATCH: IS TROPICAL ‘DANCING ANYMORE’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

IS TROPICAL RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘I’M LEAVING’

WATCH: THE SWISS ‘CONNECT’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO)