The Chainsmokers Go ‘Full Psycho’ In ‘Everybody Hates Me’ Video
April 2, 2018
The Chainsmokers have been heading in a decidedly moodier direction this year, as evidenced by “Sick Boy,” “You Owe Me,” and their latest single, “Everybody Hates Me.” In the latter track's new video, that dark side comes to life as the duo grapple with the sad truth that fame comes at a cost — and haters are almost always part of the price.
The clip finds Alex Pall and Drew Taggart racing through a tunnel in an open-top Jeep, then trying to drown out the noise at a house party. For Pall, that means drinking his troubles away, and for Taggart, it means literally going underwater. As the song reaches its climax, the guys douse a car in gasoline and burn it down with a fire so big that the haters surely feel the heat. In the final scene, Taggart has the same scary black eyes that he had in the “Sick Boy” and “You Owe Me” videos, apparently signaling that he’s gone — in his own words — “full psycho.”
The “Everybody Hates Me” video was directed by The Chainsmokers’ go-to director and tour photographer, Rory Kramer. In an Instagram post, Kramer offered some insight into the video’s themes, writing, “Scene 1 the tunnel scene, is like the retro future where @alexpall and @drewtaggart are driving and seen looking back at what could be memories, regret, or something haunting them, but they push forward and chase dreams. Scene 2 the pool party. Here we find Drew at the bottom of a pool which is to represent anxiety, feeling trapped, suffocating.”
Kramer continued, “Scene 3 the explosion. Here we blew up a Range Rover to symbolize their success of ‘Closer’, something that changed their lives, my life, and the rest of their team's lives. Much like a fire, we couldn’t control what it brought, the love, the hate… we’re just trying to be ourselves and do what we love.”
So what will the ‘Smokers next move be? With three singles released in the past three months, a new album announcement seems imminent. And judging by what we’ve heard so far, it'll be the duo’s darkest, moodiest work yet.