See Agoraphobic Man Break Down in Nothing's New "I Hate the Flowers" Video | Revolver

See Agoraphobic Man Break Down in Nothing's New "I Hate the Flowers" Video

Philly's favorite shoegazers drop unnerving, surreal 'Dance on the Blacktop' visual

Nothing continue to climb their way to the top of the shoegaze canon with yet another visually stunning music video, this one for their latest single "I Hate the Flowers." The clip presents a literal interpretation of what it's like for one man facing his fear of the outside world every time he leaves his New York City apartment. From the second the video's star exits his door, his life becomes an uphill battle of desperate flailing and crawling, representative of the kind of self-flagellation required of most folks who choose to face the challenges of everyday life in NYC.

Once the protagonist returns to his apartment, he hastily shaves his head in a disjointed breakdown. He continues, removing his facial hair and showering his head with neon paints in scenes evocative of a Jodorowsky-directed ritualistic cleansing. Dreamlike collages flash across the screen and an animated flame signifies the adventure's end. 

The titular reference to flowers represents a favorite recurring metaphor of Nothing frontman and songwriter Domenic Palermo. "I've been referring to humans as flowers since the earliest days of Nothing for their beautifully sad and their literal life/death cycle is so relatable," he comments. Palermo also notes that the single is a sequel to track "Vertigo Flowers" from the Nothing's 2016 release Tired of Tomorrow, as seen in the thematic similarities in the songs themselves and their respective videos.

Read more about Palermo and Nothing's experience making their latest record in this recent in-depth interview with Revolver, and go inside the process with our behind-the-scenes, in-studio documentary series below.