At the beginning of the month, Phoenix-based songwriter UPSAHL painted a fairly graphic picture for us of the end of a relationship and the revenge fantasies it conjures up for the main character of her forthcoming debut album. The blazing single from Lady Jesus emphasizes her aggressive take on pop choruses and lyrics (is it just me, or does “Punch you in the tiny dick” sound like a Run the Jewels lyric?). It makes sense, then, that the song’s visual accompaniment would be equally aggressive, taking visual cues from a pairing of imagery tied to Psycho and Catholicism you’re unlikely to find outside of this album cycle.
“‘Lunatic’ is all about playing a character, so for the video, we wanted to amplify this character,” she explains. “George Gallardo, who directed it, had this fire idea of recreating the shower murder scene from the movie Psycho. Having the majority of the music video take place in a church/confession booth basically makes the whole context of the song sound like a confession. ‘Lunatic’ is really the turning point on my album, in which we get closer and closer to Lady Jesus, so the music video taking place in a church feels like the birth of Lady Jesus and the person I’ve become while making this album.”
Watch the clip below.
