METZ - The Swimmer

What this video is

Released May 4, 2015 alongside METZ's second album II on Sub Pop Records, 'The Swimmer' video arrived at the height of a critical reappraisal of noise-rock and post-hardcore in mainstream indie press. The video's Lynchian domestic horror aesthetic — a middle-aged man's surreal baptism and its grisly aftermath rendered through glitch loops and claustrophobic interior framing — mirrors the album's lyrical…

Why it matters

A landmark noise-rock music video of the mid-2010s, 'The Swimmer' exemplifies the genre's embrace of psychological horror and surrealist visual language as a complement to abrasive, frenetic punk sonics. Its GIF-loop editing technique, domestic horror staging, and Lynchian surrealism set a…

The director

Scott Cudmore is a Canadian music video director closely associated with METZ, having directed or co-directed multiple videos for the band including 'Wet Blanket', 'Wasted', 'The Swimmer', and 'Spit You Out'. Michael Leblanc collaborated with Cudmore on METZ…