The Chemical Brothers have returned with their first new material since 2019. Today, they've shared a new track titled "The Darkness That You Fear" and its accompanying music video made from archival rave footage.
"'The Darkness That You Fear' is a hopeful piece of music," the duo's Tom Rowlands said in a statement. "When we found the combination of the different voices worked set to the flow of the music, it made us feel optimistic — like it was something we wanted to share."
The Chemical Brothers teamed with Thom Yorke and Run the Jewels collaborator Ruffmercy for the video, which features ecstatic dancers amid pops of animated colourful inkblots, hearkening back to a pre-COVID era of clubs, shows and sweaty dance parties.
Speaking on the hand-drawn visuals, Ruffmercy said in a statement:
When I first heard the song I immediately connected with the theme and the overall positive vibe. New government rules for relaxing lockdown had been announced and combined with the sun shining, it left me feeling positive about the forthcoming summer. It also triggered a strong sense of nostalgia that led to me going back to look for visual inspiration from the period in time when I first discovered the Chemical Brothers in the mid-nineties. The video combines archive rave footage from the mid- to late-nineties with hand-painted Super 8 film textures and hand-drawn animation. I love using colour to create chaos and evoke emotions and this was the perfect project to do that.
The single marks the Chemical Brothers' first since their 2019 album No Geography.
Watch Ruffmercy's video below.
"'The Darkness That You Fear' is a hopeful piece of music," the duo's Tom Rowlands said in a statement. "When we found the combination of the different voices worked set to the flow of the music, it made us feel optimistic — like it was something we wanted to share."
The Chemical Brothers teamed with Thom Yorke and Run the Jewels collaborator Ruffmercy for the video, which features ecstatic dancers amid pops of animated colourful inkblots, hearkening back to a pre-COVID era of clubs, shows and sweaty dance parties.
Speaking on the hand-drawn visuals, Ruffmercy said in a statement:
When I first heard the song I immediately connected with the theme and the overall positive vibe. New government rules for relaxing lockdown had been announced and combined with the sun shining, it left me feeling positive about the forthcoming summer. It also triggered a strong sense of nostalgia that led to me going back to look for visual inspiration from the period in time when I first discovered the Chemical Brothers in the mid-nineties. The video combines archive rave footage from the mid- to late-nineties with hand-painted Super 8 film textures and hand-drawn animation. I love using colour to create chaos and evoke emotions and this was the perfect project to do that.
The single marks the Chemical Brothers' first since their 2019 album No Geography.
Watch Ruffmercy's video below.
