Only a few weeks ago, Face Face returned with ‘The Karen Song’, an emotive blast of alternative-rock that followed on from their 2019 EP Cartoon Villain. While sonically the track picks up where the band last left off - loaded with 90’s soft/loud dynamics, fiery hooks and Loz Perkin’s emotionally-charged vocals - its lyrical theme is intrinsically linked with the past few in-between years for the band.

As the group explain, the track was “penned in the six month lockdown of 2020 as a reaction to the ubiquitous female archetype causing anxiety and frustration on the news”, but cleverly, they shift the usual narrative to make the track a call to action, asking the Karens of the world to use their power for good. It’s a refreshing take, and one that perfectly melds with the rousing, anthem-like quality of the track to make for something doggedly unwavering yet good-spirited.

The brand new clip for the track continues this lockdown throughline, with a full reimagining of the Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing that served to distract so many from the grim realities of the world amidst 2020. Speaking about the clip, the band ask “What’s more reflective of Victoria’s 2020 lockdown than Karens and Animal Crossing?​“ but fortunately, the new video feels reminiscent of the times with a much-needed playful touch, especially with its colourful cast (including each member of Face Face in spectacular 2D) and its joyously fun theatrics.

To celebrate the release of the creative new clip, Face Face gave us the lowdown on some of their favourite music videos that have also been inspired by popular video games.


PUP - ‘DVP’

Not only does this 2016 single from Canadian band PUP slap harder than Will Smith, but the music video was the first point of inspiration for ‘The Karen Song’ music video. The way Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux wove together iconic arcade game footage with the song’s lyrics is seamless and perfectly punctuates the overall tone of this band’s song about being a drunk dickhead.

Favourite moment: when Mario meets his princess and the lyrics read “I don’t give a shit.”​


Junior Senior - ‘Move Your Feet’​

This was voted one of Pitchfork’s best videos of the 2000s, and there’s no doubt why. British art collective Shynola did an epic job capturing the 8-bit style of early video games in this fun dance track. Not technically referencing a specific video game, but the pixel art made its way to our list. This was created in Deluxe Paint, which is extra impressive. ​

Favourite moment: the closing sequence where the squirrel blows up everything from an ice-cream cone to the entire planet.​


Red Hot Chili Peppers - ‘Californication’​

Literally every bro with a guitar learned how to play this riff when we were in high school, so it feels incredibly nostalgic to add this one to the list, but the video is a seriously-good reference to GTA-style games. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris made the original but someone called Orteza has recently tapped into the nostalgia by creating an actual game based on the video that has seven playable levels.

Favourite moment: how could it not be riding a dragonfly between skyscrapers in virtual California?​


BENEE - ‘Kool’​

The moment I realised that this video was about The Sims, I was blown away by the visuals! Probably everyone has spent at least one whole day vicariously living their life through their Sim alter-ego, dealing with flooded toilets and stove-top fires. Produced by Augusto, this video is based on an absolutely classic video game while the lyrics mourn for a change of identity and escape from the reality of being an awkward loser.

Favourite moment: when the choice menus pop up in the kitchen, as well as the outfit montage​.


Goldfish (ft. Sakhile Moleshe) - ‘We Come Together’​

This vintage Nintendo-inspired video by Mike Scott is chock-full of fun pop culture references and bright colourful visuals. The start of the song also taps into the nostalgia of chip-tune video game sound effects too as we watch a crew of friends get up to no good before assembling the band.​ ​

Favourite moment: the reference to keyboard cat when the crew enters the jazz club.