Given their (rather excellent) name and the fact that said moniker is derived from an Emily Dickinson poem, you’d be forgiven for concluding that Death is a Dialogue were a more “serious” band, the kind that write brooding, sullen songs aimed at the dark heart of the human condition. As it stands, however, the group likes their music far more kinetic and upbeat, crafting fiery pop punk screeds with a metallic edge.

This isn’t to say, however, that Death is a Dialogue aren’t given to moments of darkness and introspection. On the surface, “Blackened Dreams” might be an anthemic four-on-the-floor rocker, but beneath the driving guitars and melodic vocals, the song tackles the subject of bad dreams in a manner that is uniquely personal and cerebral. “I used to have a lot of weird dreams where I was on the run from the law, not sure why,” guitarist and vocalist Jason Lee explains via email. “I’ve never really done anything bad enough to warrant being on the run, but it was a strange re-occurring dream I had for a while.”

Shot and directed by Jeff Kaplan, the accompanying video, which we’re excited to be premiering today, taps into a kind of cops and robbers theme, only a bit silly and surreal. In the high-energy clip, a gang of what appear to be thieves are accosted by a rogue cop who forces them into the trunk of car. The tables are turned when one of gang members manages to escape and the officer is captured and forced to undergo a kind of conversion therapy that enables him to join the gang — which, as it turns out, aren’t so nefarious after all.

“I call it, ‘good cop gone bad joins the chihuahua rescue squad,'” says Lee. “It’s really just a weird culmination of live shots and parody shots. We wanted a video that sort of poked fun at action movies… Because it’s one of our heavier songs I didn’t want to make a cheesy ‘tough guy’ rock video like we’ve all seen before, so I thought a light-hearted approach could make things interesting and maybe a little funny.”

Check it out above.

Death is a Dialogue will celebrate the release of the Blackened Dreams video on Fri., July 14 at Star Bar. Supporting them will be Casket Creatures, Useless Against, and Resident One. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $10. 21+ to enter.

More Info
Web: deathisadialogue.com
Facebook: @deathisadialogue
Instagram: @jasonleediad
Twitter: @DeathisaDialog