Danny Elfman Shares New Oingo Boingo Rework, “Insects”

Next month, acclaimed songwriter and composer Danny Elfman will release his new double album Big Mess, an 18-track record that reckons with the angst and confusion of the digital and COVID age. Ahead of its June 11 release on ANTI- Records, he’s shared “Insects,” a reimagining of the chaotic, punk-inspired 1982 song by his former band Oingo Boingo.

The rework came about as Elfman prepared old material for his scheduled 2020 Coachella set: “As I played around with different songs it occurred to me that ‘Insects’ made sense. Who were the “Insects,’ the blood suckers of today? It was obvious to me—they all hived together in Washington and seemed to thrive on sucking the rational sense of reality out of our brains,” he explains in a statement.

Premiering with the single is a wild music video directed by Sam and Andy Rolfes. The video features 3D creatures destroying a neon city, perfectly matching the frantic intensity of the song itself. The video was created by puppeteering over 80 models in VR, following one character throughout a disturbing voyage.

Check out the video below, plus a 1987 Oingo Boingo performance from the Paste archives. You can also revisit our list of the 10 best pop musicians turned composers here and preorder Big Mess here.