The JezabelsStalwart Aussie alt-rockers The Jezabels have unveiled the video clip for recent single Smile, featuring footage of frontwoman Hayley Mary proudly and defiantly striding her way through a so-called 'walk of shame'.
Set against the increasingly anthemic vocals, empowering lyrics and building intensity of the song — the chorus of which implores the (male) listener, "Don't tell me to smile/ If you don't know me, brother" — it swiftly becomes an evident statement of resistance against outdated and oppressive social mores (namely, the nebulous concept of 'shame' in a 'walk of shame', as well as men's tendency to tell women to 'smile', which is honestly such a creepoid move that they made it the defining characteristic of super-off-putting villain Killgrave in Marvel's Jessica Jones).
A damn exceptional one, at that.
"We wanted something simple that allowed the song to just tell its story," Mary said in a statement. "The walk-of-shame idea just seemed perfect. I mean, what is a walk of shame? Depends on who’s walking it, where they’ve been the night before and what events in their lives led them there. You might have a skip in your step ‘cause you got laid, a mild feeling of shame or just want to bury yourself in the earth for all eternity.
"There was something nice about how that idea mirrored the conflicting voices of the song; the potential for in-the-moment fun, and deep long-lasting sadness that always exist at the same time."
Check out the new clip below.
The Jezabels head out on tour in support of this year's new LP, Synthia, in October; see theGuide for all the details.
