Fake Nails that could well be made of Peroxide, Modern Black Matte lipstick and shades of Red in abundance, these are not a few of my favourite things (although they kind of are) but instead what makes up most of Marisa And The Moths latest music video for their single ‘Devil’.
This three minute, three second masterclass in how grunge rock should be cinematically translated, opens with the killer lines “In me I’ve no conscience of my own”, which sets us up for the rest of the song, which at its lyrical core is all about giving into temptation, taking risks in new relationships and finding love in the darkest of life’s sexual corners when one has no conscience nor awareness of self-restraint.
Marisa Rodriguez, the band’s lead, and in my opinion, one of Britain’s biggest up and coming Rock powerhouses, opens the video dressed in an all black bodysuit, casually shaking her hips, caressing her face with those killer acrylics and throwing herself onto the floor in a rather lacklustre manner, as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.
Then come the close-ups (mostly of Rodriguez’s facial piercings) that zoom in on the band’s eclectic style and bohemian visions, allowing us to not only appreciate their creative intent but also their haunting lyrics- somewhat more meaningful when being performed by an isolated, fierce femme fatale strutting herself surrounded by crazed lighting and her own unnecessarily dramatic, yet wonderfully camp, hand shaping and arm-ogrpahy.
A personal highlight for me was when the line “If you’re the devil that I know, deceive me/And I will follow you to hell, so lead me” was delivered at the exact moment a side profile silhouette of Rodriguez appears against the backdrop of (you guessed it) another shade of red.
Thus, along with Rodriguez belting out my personal favourite lyric in the track, “Fallen angel gotten underneath my skin / Crucifixion of what/ Makes you different”, metaphorically representing the transitions that come in life once old wounds are healed at the same time new ones are opened, once again bringing the track’s central themes to the forefront of the video.
So, if you love the colour red, close-ups of facial piercings, unnecessarily yet wonderfully long acrylics and sexually driven lyrics then this music video is definitely worth a watch and will be the devil on my shoulder for a while yet. Bold, Bohemian and pretty damn brilliant!
Words by Cory Gourley
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