If you’re feeling nostalgic about your childhood, today’s a good day. River Gods have released the video for their latest track, “Stressed Out,” off of their upcoming Let Me Live EP, and the power pop tune is the perfect salve for millenial anxiety. The video features a young boy who has been tapped to film a commercial for the hit new sensation “Hatch-A-Friend,” a small Tamagatchi-like toy. Unfortunately, the boy’s new digital friend causes him to get lost in the imaginary world where love only goes one way. Raising a video game pet was always a big task as a kid, but it doesn’t feel far away from the pressures of today’s world.
As for the rest of the music video–oh man! Can you believe how obsessed we were with a small little screen meant to distract us from living an authentic life full of real experiences, all so we could lose ourself in a virtual world of nonsense that revolved around a creature who could never love us back? Glad those days are long gone. Must be why none of us are stressed out like we used to be…
The video’s director, Peter Rosati, said the idea for the video “hit pretty quickly” after he heard River Gods’ frontman Shiraz Dhume’s song the first time. “Something about a little kid singing these selfless lyrics of unrequited love to a Tamagotchi-like toy just felt too perfect,” Rosati said.
We agree, though things weren’t always so stressful in the ’90s. Sure, our obsession with video games and virtual realities should have been a warning for what was to come with our smartphones, but just like this song, the music was pretty great.
You can pre-order River Gods’ new album Let Me Live, due out 7/24.
Featured Image: Dadstache Records
