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In the awful brilliant 1988 comedy Tapeheads, John Cusack and Tim Robbins start a music video production company after losing their jobs as security guards. Hijinks ensue. I sincerely hope that the members of The Max Levine Ensemble don’t lose their jobs, but if they do, they could seriously make a killing making music videos for the rest of their days.
Case in point: The pop-punk trio’s latest, James Bond-esque music video, filmed in various DIY venues throughout D.C. (full disclosure: I let them film part of the video at my former place of residence). In the video for “Sun’s Early Rays,” which premiered earlier at Brooklyn Vegan, the band—vocalist/guitarist David Combs, bassist/vocalist Ben Epstein, and drummer Nick Popovici—find themselves tied up at the hands of a nefarious villain, played by Ilsa’s Sharad Satsangi. It’s up to Priest’s Katie Alice Greer to defeat the henchmen, steal a mysteriously powerful orb from Satsangi, and save the band.
The song—an anthemic, Ted Leo-esque, power-pop gem—comes off the trio’s upcoming album Backlash Baby. It’s their first proper full-length album in eight (!) years, and it drops Nov. 20 via Lame-O Records and Rumbletowne Records.
Check out the video for “Sun’s Early Rays” below:
Photo via Sheena Ozzella.