HeCTA - “Sympathy For The Auto Industry” (Official Video)

The delectably pulsating disco beats of “Sympathy For The Auto Industry” are probably the opposite of what you’d expect from three members of prolific alt-country band Lambchop. But after nearly 20 years of writing tear-jerking, soulful chamber rock, it seems clear that Kurt Wagner, Ryan Morris, and Scott Martin are all itching to dance a little. This year, the three reorganized as HeCTA and released their robotically inclined debut, The Diet.

 
The video for “Sympathy For The Auto Industry” arrives at the tail of that publicity cycle, and it’s equally surprising in how offbeat it is compared to anything they’ve done before. The blocky, computer-animated video, directed by previous collaborator Christopher Shepard, suits the song’s retro electronic vibe. It features a sullen boy running away from his grumpy father at a gas station, wandering into a garbage dump and then discovering that everything he touches turns into colorful, prismatic vegetation. It’s weird, funny, and a little dark, and it complements the somewhat Orwellian humor behind the lyrics’ main refrain, “You shouldn’t have to change a thing, except your mind.”