When I saw the headline about Michel Gondry directing a White Stripes video I had to ask: whoa, is it the mid-2000s again? Is the director’s next music video project going to be a Kylie Minogue club anthem? Are my friends and I going to indulge in some herbal refreshment and watch these videos over and over again because they’re so deep, man?
But no, turns out I had not in fact been caught in the kind of endless time travel loop that the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director would relish in putting on film.
It’s actually a brand new video for “City Lights,” a new(ish) song from Jack White’s compilation album Acoustic Recordings 1998 – 2016.
The video, which Gondry shot on his own before even letting White know, features someone illustrating the lyrics in steam condensation on a shower door, for five minutes, as each layer gets erased and replaced with a new one. The faces are Picasso-esque, the overall effect very sweet.
Watch below (and scroll down for a few more Gondry-Stripes collaborations from their glory days):