Lower Dens - “To Die In L.A.” (Official Video)

Los Angeles is a city like a poisoned apple. Glistening skin and supple, attractive colors cloak the rotting fruit that lurks beneath the surface. I lived there for five years, and while the lyrics for “To Die In L.A.” never specifically reference the city outside the title, the video builds an insidious, absurdist portrait that’s eerily accurate. Directed by SSION’s Cody Critcheloe, the visuals star Actually Huizenga as a sweetly vapid wannabe starlet navigating the glamor, chaos, and death of the city. Huizenga even copes with her own Portrait Of Dorian Gray-styled avatar that reflects the bloody reality of her transformation. The story plays out like a macabre take on The Big Lebowski, and Jana Hunter gets a sinister role, too.