SZA’s ‘Broken Clocks’ Video Is A Camp Dream Of Food Fights And Make-Outs
March 30, 2018
Speaking as someone who never went to summer camp, SZA's new music video for "Broken Clocks" makes me feel nostalgic. That's because it paints camp — "Camp Ctrl" in this case — as a haven for mischief, like spraying your bunk mates with silly string to wake them up, but also love.
Or at least a good make-out during a lunchtime food fight.
Throughout the five-minute clip, our protagonist seems detached from all the daily frivolity surrounding her. She'd rather deliver the song from high on a bus hood or in front of a van than jump off the dock or roast marshmallows with the other campers. Maybe SZA's not a camper at all! Maybe the camp scenes are, as the end reveals, actually too good to be true?
Ultimately, the video — directed by SZA and the Little Homies' Dave Free — is a retro appreciation of escapism. No matter what you're trying to get away from (a bad job, money problems, or worse), you can at least flee it all for five minutes watching "Broken Clocks" above — even if it's not the preferred version.