Premiere: this post-punk music video envisions Moscow as a dark dystopia

In his new music video for Russian post-punk band Lode Runner, independent director Ivan Reedm envisions a dystopian Moscow, collaborating with model agency Lumpen to depict a society devoid of faith in good or peace.

In imagining the potential consequences of what he describes as the “vicious cycle” of economic crisis and aggressive international politics, Ivan Reedm both comments on current affairs and reflects on the legacy of the 1990s, enhanced by a VHS aesthetic.

Accompanying the track A tear won’t wash away blood (Slyozyu krov ne smoyesh), which combines the sounds of a trumpet, drum machine and guitar in an intense rhythm, the clip was shot almost entirely on the streets of central Moscow.

“The locations were chosen to produce the atmosphere of a dark, dirty and mean city. [...] This is kind of the look of an alternative future for Russia,” the director told The Calvert Journal.

Listen to more from Lode Runner here.