Once again, quirky R&B sensation SZA has premiered an out-of-the-box visual for one of her songs from her successful debut album CTRL. This time, it’s for her third single, the anti-fuckboy anthem “Broken Clocks.”
Even though the song speaks of letting go of “broken” men, the visual goes way left by presenting a fun summer camp setting. The video is filled with homages, from the School Daze opening, to the food fight scene reminiscent of The Parent Trap, to the Salute your Shorts aesthetics of the camp itself. Viewers see various scenarios play out, from summer love, to new arrivals, to the risqué hijinks of the camp attendees, to the rivalry between Camp CTRL and the elitist Camp Vanderwoffenberg. SZA and her fellow camp employees (including labelmate Schoolboy Q as the chef) are free-spirited and hands-off with the campers as they chill and get high on the camp bus. Everything seems fine with a perfect ending of Camp CTRL around a bonfire before reality hits. The final scene turns into a strip club where an unconscious SZA is being revived in the ladies’ room after a fellow stripper punches her. The camp visual turns out to be a fantasy as the two camp-goers from the previous scenes are actually SZA’s friends. The ending is reminiscent of the hood classic The Player’s Club with SZA and her girls chatting on the curb after SZA is fired from the club.
This latest left-field visual mirrors her previous visuals for the deadly “Love Galore,” the nostalgic “Drew Barrymore,” the woodland fantasy “Supermodel,” and the parking lot dancing of “The Weekend.” SZA loves giving fans unexpected visuals for her songs.
Despite going home with none of five Grammys she was nominated for, SZA has had an amazing year, from CTRL going platinum, to being on songs with Maroon 5 and Lorde, to the upcoming The Championship Tour with her fellow TDE artists. She was most recently heard on the Black Panther soundtrack with TDE artist and rap superstar Kendrick Lamar on the hit “All the Stars” which has since become the subject of a lawsuit.
As SZA continues to grow as an artist (both musically and visually), she will hopefully continue to let her music speak for her and not get caught in the pitfalls and politics of the music industry. Watch the fun and twisted video below, along with seeing why SZA earned the top spot on Paste’s 20 best new artists of 2017.