Ontario's (formerly) faceless wonder The Weeknd has premiered the video for his single "Pretty" today off his recent LP Kiss Land, the follow up to last year's triple LP Trilogy. With his album debuting at #2 on Billboard, sporting his patented Basquiat do, the notable vocalist has had an impressive month remixing relative newcomer Lorde's single "Royals," making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and ending this September with the release of a thrilling cinematic endeavor in the video for "Pretty." The ballad itself is buried in somber guitar riffs, signature big drum programming and layered falsettos, providing the video with an equally heady accompanying score.
The eerie cinematography of "Pretty" is not only cold, but somewhat distant. Thematically similar to D'angelo's "Shit, Damn, Motherf**ker," the chilling video tells the tale of an overworked man coming home from what must have been a heavy-hearted trip to an unfaithful gal and the tragic demise of their infatuation with one another. Anguish seems to be the new cool with The Weeknd's role falling in line with that of his previous videos--and in the very real darkness embedded throughout the entirety of the aesthetic (not to mention the clear affinity for Asian women) Gloomy overtones and sublime melancholy rule in this hit-maker's world. Peep the bleakness of "Pretty" below:
