Prepare to be Shocked by The Weeknd’s Latest Music Video

The Weeknd, America’s favorite aux-cord artist at the moment, seems to aspire to a little more than just that. His latest video, for the track “Party Monster,” packs all of the shock value of a Lady Gaga video alongside a Kanye West level of muted neon light. The video’s ambiguous imagery places the track’s description of a party hookup in a setting that grows progressively ominous.

A number of images from earlier music videos from The Weeknd’s new album Starboy recur in “Party Monster.” The cross, blue and red strobe lighting, and a ubiquitous panther suggest a unifying narrative behind the tracks. The video graphically represents lust disfigured by (literally!) face-melting guilt. Perhaps The Weeknd isn’t quite happy with his status as a singer to hook up to. Also noteworthy is Lana Del Rey perfectly at home, suggestively incanting “Paranoid” at 2:40.

Check out The Weeknd’s new video above, and his short film M A N I A below.