Iceage Are Restless in a Sea of Flowers in “Under The Sun” Music Video

Iceage makes Flower Power punk with the music video for “Under The Sun.” Filmed in Tokyo during their “Opening Nights” residencies (which were also staged in NYC and LA), the video features the floral designs of renowned flower sculptor Azuma Makoto, who handpicked Iceage for his flower-music installation series “Crazy Garden x Iceage.”

Off their most recent album Beyondless, released in May, “Under The Sun” trudges along as frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt struggles with despair in the Biblical reference-filled track. “I gave you the mark of Cain,” he sings, the line particularly standing out as a note of desolation.

The video positions itself as a recording of a piece of performance art—a frame has been constructed by Makoto and in this space, the band reacts. The flower artist Makoto is known for his beautiful displays, but also more shocking exhibitions of burning and freezing flowers. For this video, he has filled the stage with an abundance of bright blooms. The blue-tinted lighting makes the band look like they’re playing underwater—the flowers reach upwards like a kelp forest. The stage is decadent, with every inch covered in tall, pristine flowers, but as the song progresses, the flowers are trampled and torn apart. Rønnenfelt causes most of the destruction, crushing the flowers as he lurches across the stage, picks them up and throws them around. The song, like the staged flowers, blooms out of darkness and it restlessly approaches a rather cathartic close—the chant “Push it up,” backed by the eastern-influenced guitars and an addition of strings, is pressing for release. Even still, at the very end, Rønnenfelt asks God if He’s “lost the steering wheel again,” and at this question of loss of control, the band leaves behind a field of mauled flowers.

Iceage are continuing on tour this summer at several festival dates before touring across Europe from September to the beginning of November. They will be returning to the U.S. for a co-headlining tour with Black Lips during November. Their final show of the year is currently scheduled for Dec. 7, when they will return to London for a special performance at the Hackney Arts Centre with set design by Christian Friedlander. Helm and Astrid Sonne will open.

Watch the music video for “Under The Sun” below and find Iceage’s full tour dates further down.

Iceage Tour Dates:

August
17 – Thy, Denmark @ Alive Festival
18 – Detroit, Mich. @ Motor City Muscle
30 – Gdansk, Poland @ Sounddrive Festival
31 – Hamburg, Germany @ Off The Radar Fesival

September
02 – Tollard Royal, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
03 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Hare And Hounds *
04 – Leeds, U.K. @ Brudenell Social Club *
06 – Glasgow, U.K. @ The Great Eastern *
07 – Dublin, Ireland @ Workmans Club *
08 – Cardiff, U.K. @ Clwb iFor Bach *
09 – Manchester, U.K. @ Gorilla *
10 – Brighton, U.K. @ The Haunt *
11 – Rotterdamn, Netherlands @ Rotown *
12 – Cologne, Germany @ Blue Shell *
13 – Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof *
14 – Leffinge, Belgium @ Leffingeleuren Festival
20 – Århus, Denmark @ Tape ~
21 – Ålborg, Denmark @ Studenterhuset ~
22 – Århus, Denmark @ Tape ~
24 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tavasia
25 – Oslo, Norway @ John Dee ~
26 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser ~
27 – Göteborg, Sweden @ Pustervik
28 – Odense, Denmark @ Kansas City ~
29 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Journey Festival

October
26 – Porto, Portugal @ Hard Club
27 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Jameson Urban Routes Festival
28 – Sevilla, Spain @ Sala X
29 – Madrid, Spain @ El Sol
30 – Barcelona, Spain @ Le [2]

November
01 – Lyon, France @ Le Sonic
02 – Torino, Italy @ Club To Club Festival
03 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Rote Fabrik
05 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rickshaw Theatre # ^
06 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox # ^
07 – Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom # ^
09 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall # ^
10 – Pomona, Calif. @ The Glass House # ^
11 – Tustin, Calif. @ Marty’s On Newport # ^
12 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Regent Theater # ^
13 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues # ^
14 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Crescent Ballroom # ^
16 – Dallas, Texas @ Granada Theater # ^
17 – Austin, Texas @ The Mohawk # ^
18 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall Downstairs # ^
19 – New Orleans, La. @ One Eyed Jacks # ^
20 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Saturn # ^
22 – Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico @ Sala
23 – Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl # ^
24 – Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl # ^
25 – New York, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
27 – New York, N.Y. @ Elsewhere

December
05 – Berlin, Germany @ Bi Nuu
07 – London, U.K. @ Hackney Arts Centre %

(~ = Shiny Darkly)
(* = Josiah Konder)
(# = with Black Lips)
(^ = with Surfbort)
(% = with Astrid Sonne and Helm)