Do androids dream of Rina Sawayama?

In XS, Rina Sawayama combines TV salesmen, J-Pop dance routine, capitalist critique, and bodily autonomy to create a music video that is as multi-genre as her music. 

As Rina debuts her newest (and most ridiculous) product to date on Rina.TV, the truth of its origins is revealed. Underground, workers in factory clothes extract Rina Water from the body of a robot that is kept captive. On stage, Rina upstages her fellow dancers and starts glitching, sparks coming off her body as she hoards Rina Water, eventually malfunctioning entirely before being left out by the trash. 

The Nu-metal-meets-pop Rina is a bright, 80’s-styled delight on camera, her presence on screen undeniable. Director Ali Kurr knows how to best utilize the over-the-top demeanor of the pop star, giving Rina leeway to be wacky and strange without pushing it too far over the bounds. With fun choreography and a strange, Gaga-meets-Black Mirror vibe, XS is a weird, bright, exceptionally memorable video.