The more I listen, the more I think it’s the contrasts that make “Nights” so interesting. The way the spiky post-punk guitars press against Arthur Cabral’s dry, monotone vocals or how the band is able to inject a bit of oddball curiosity into the song’s steely no wave. Relative newcomers Sad Fish have been making a name by bucking listener expectations and the way they are able to merge the ecstatic and the reserved is just one means they use to challenge preconceptions.

Directed by Bill Guzik, the video refuses to settle into a simple narrative. What starts off as a semi-typical performance clip (albeit one where two fish puppets dance and sway on the screen) eventually dissolves into something of a surreal dream. Midway through, the song and video are abruptly halted by the “director” (dressed as an orange lion/tiger mascot) who is incensed at the amateurish antics of the left fish and fires him on the spot while also making sure to praise the performance of right fish (played by Cousin Dan).

It’s a jarring break, but Guzik uses it to shift gears and, to some extent, storylines. When the music returns we are introduced to a waiter (left fish?) who’s mocked as a clown by the couple he is serving and who later spends his evening drowning his sorrow and humiliation in alcohol alongside — who else — left fish. It’s more weird than it is convoluted, but don’t worry, the video ends in with a moral: even clowns triumph sometimes.

Sad Fish will perform on Wednesday, July 27 when they play in support of Young Sirens and Tomato Dodgers at the Pony Ranch. Fellow locals Antarcticats open the show. Doors open at 9 p.m. $5 suggested donation. BYOB.

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Facebook: @sadfishatl
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