First Watch: Casket Girls, 'Tears Of A Clown'

Truth be told, when I saw the opening of this video, with Phaedra & Elsa Greene donning sunglasses and coordinated stars and stripes outfits, it felt trite: then the words kicked and the tone of the video along with my attitude, changed.

"America bleeds
The tears of a clown
Seeing stars
Behind bars."

Casket Girls is from Savannah, Ga. and along with sisters Phaedra and Elsa the band includes Ryan Graveface with drums from TW Walsh. Elsa wrote and told me that "Tears of a Clown" is a protest song. "Its reflective meditation on the current state of disrepair begs the question: Can we officially call it 'rock bottom,' so that the waves of change can begin to roll and crash?" Elsa Greene goes on with great passion to say. "There is a new American Dream. The intention is possibility, peace and love, dimension-wide. In the video, we use classic American symbolism representing the ideals this Country was built on, i.e. Peace and Freedom, and recontextualize in the modern forum."

Watching the video you see some '60s-style animation. Elsa told us that these animations are in fact at least forty years old. "The video is cut from animator Vince Collins psychedelic propaganda film '200.' He was commissioned by the U.S. Information Agency for the bicentennial celebration. It was made in 1975, a time when people were uniting to fight for equal rights. It seems we need to reinvigorate to put this era of separatism behind us, for once and for all. Unlike most of our work, the lyrics, serving as the video's focus, are direct and clear cut. It's wild how these visuals from decades ago are still completely relevant."

Casket Girls' third album of catchy, eerie pop is called The Night Machines and is out now via Graveface Records.

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