
The man's clothes are different to those of the crowds of people, he is untidly wearing a grey shirt with sweat patches under his arms, on his front and back. This suggests that he is tired or stressed, in terms of gender representation it implies that men are untidy and dirty. This point is further encouraged in the mis-shots of the crowds as they are wearing very formal clothing.












The video doesn't feature any members of the band but rather an actor to play the part of the protagonist. The first scene is footage of a man trying to push his way through a crowd in order to see what seems to be an accident that had taken place. Close-ups and mid-shots of the mans face pushing his way through the crowd represent him as determined and persistent. After a few seconds, we are transported to a post-apocalyptic world in which he dances around dead bodies. In this
Tame Impala: Solitude is Bliss
Half this video is set in a post-apocalyptic world or possibly a daydream while the rest is set in what is suggested to be the real world. The video itself has many different interpretations surrounding the symbolism or meaning of the narrative however it is possible to link certain representation theories of men in music videos to this one.
sequence, a steady-cam is used to highlight a feeling of calm, while in the real world with the crowds of people, the camera is handheld and unsteady to create feelings of chaos.
There is a long shot at one point of the man kicking someone who looks like he is hurt trying to get up, the man dances while he kicks him down. This shocking image is evidence of intertextuality as it makes reference to the scene in Clockwork Orange when the character, Alex, kicks and beats two people while singing and dancing to 'Singing in the Rain', also framed in a long shot. This evokes the stereotype that men are the aggressors and can be very violent and remorseless in particular situations. This is also established by the lyrics as they talk about themes of solitude and anger; “There's a party in my head and no one is invited..”. This is further implied by the fact that the man only seems happy when alone in his daydream of a post-apocalyptic world, however when in the real world he is stressed and often being pushed around e.g. the close-up of the man daydreaming while being covered in confetti, he is smiling before he realises he is back in the real world.
The man pushing through a crowd in the 'real world'
Post-apocalyptic imaginary world
The next thirty seconds of the video is largely about the man pushing his way through a crowd of people running in the opposite direction until he reaches 'solitude', this scene begins with an establishing shot of the an empty petrol station, this is done to encourage the idea of him being completely alone. What happens next is shocking, as while the man leans back on a wall to rest, a dog runs up to 'greet' him. In a close-up, the dog places a paw on the mans leg seemingly as a sign of affection, the man then reacts by kicking the dog away in a long shot before walking up to the dog to punch it. The punch is filmed with a slow-motion camera, this is filmed in a mid-shot, low angle to make the man seem superior to the dog. As well as this fire in the background may imply hellfire to empthasize the malevolence of his actions. This further suggests the aggressive nature of men in real life.
A large part of this video seems to occur in the man's head, and what is interesting is the lack of women present in the video, even in the crowds of people, the majority of the crowd are men, this implies that, at least from the man's perspective, women are insignificant in his life. Towards the end, the film is set at night, this accentuates the use of any lights in the film, for example, while pushing though the crowd again in a mid-shot, he is covered in a red light, this is of the man's symbolic of anger and aggression.
Untidy, sweaty clothes
Singin' in the rain scene from clockwork orange
Low anagle shot to signify superiority and fire in background implying hellfire
Scene when man pushes through crowds and camera cuts to individuals
Establishing shot of restaurant/petrol station
Red lights to signify anger
Shot of dog walking up to man
Close -up of dog putting its paw on the mans lap