While busy touring, rock band Highly Suspect entrusted their label, 300, and actor Tony Cavalero (Dirt, The Righteous Gemstones, School of Rock) to share the responsibility of completing their video for the song "These Days." It features Cavalero in the middle of a heated Thanksgiving dinner as arguments over vaccines and chemtrails devolve into straight up physical combat including a crossbow, wrestling moves, and explosions.
In an email, Cavalero explains how the timing of the video couldn't be more perfect: "My character represents the point of view of the 'everyman,' in a situation that represents a much bigger picture. I love the juxtaposition between what is presented and what’s really happening behind the scenes. It’s that kind of hypocrisy that we’re really struggling with in society right now and a topic that really plays out in The Righteous Gemstones as well."
Highly Susect frontman Johnny Stevens also revealed how the video was a step in the right direction of sharing creative direction outside of his immediate team: "We are (Highly Suspect) and for as long as I can remember, difficult to really collaborate with, not because I’m a snob but maybe more so out of fear... that somehow all of the hard work I put in will get bent into a shape I don’t find aesthetically pleasing. When you find someone with as much passion as you, sometimes it’s worth giving it a shot. This time that man was Tony Cavalero. It’s a shiny little distraction from how much these days really suck."
"These Days" comes off of Highly Suspect's third album MCID.
Photo: Shervin Lainez