Nick Koenig (aka Hot Sugar) makes the kind of dreamy pop typically reserved for excessive chilling out. Yet his latest video, for the track “Not Afraid to Die,” has a very un-chill message: This is what life would be like for a child whose only window to the outside world was the Internet.
The dystopian concept, Koenig explains, was meant to show a modern kid isolated in his room suffering from boredom and depression. “The light of his desktop monitor has replaced the sun,” Koenig says, adding that this space causes the child to shift between delusion and reality. It’s, as you might expect, Koenig’s take on the solitude that our technology can engender.
“Regardless of whether it’s voluntary or accidental, he ultimately succumbs to his secluded lifestyle and lets himself melt into the void he chose to exist in,” says Koenig, who also directed the video.
Koenig, who has done production work for hip-hop groups like The Roots and Das Racist, says the video’s look—amateur 3-D rendering—is meant to be seen in juxtaposition to its theme. “I wanted to tackle a heavy concept with what is generally perceived to be a crude and childish style of animation,” he says.
“Not Afraid to Die” will be released on Hot Sugar’s upcoming album God’s Hand, out Feb. 24. Check out the video for the track above.
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