Arab Strap returns today with a new single/video entitled “Here Comes Comus!” off the band’s first album in 16 years, As Days Get Dark due out March 5th on Rock Action. A twisted ode to the god of intoxication, Comus, Arab Strap frontman Aidan Moffat explains:
“It’s a song about the god of nocturnal excess and my inability to ever refuse him. It takes place in a pub, a club, and city alleyways, all the places I’d hoped we’d be able to enjoy again by now – but it’s been so long since I’ve had a big night out that listening to it now seems almost nostalgic. He still pops round to see me at home now and again, but I know he’s holding back and planning for the future, and one day soon we’ll dance again.”
Bryan M. Ferguson directed the video for the track, and it comes with a warning about its violent and disturbing content. Following a young man’s night long descent into mayhem, Ferguson has this to say about the visuals:
“When I first heard Aidan’s lyrics on the track, my mind was quickly flung into a murky pit of complete debauchery and I really wanted the video to be a story of excess to match not just the lyrics but the whole mythology of Comus being the rebellious god of festivity who pretty much represents anarchy and chaos…I felt the video needed to explore these themes of overindulgence much like the protagonist. I wanted to make the viewer feel dirty and maybe even disgusted at their own enjoyment of the imagery.”
