"'For The Animals' is a metaphor for people existing in a realm outside of structured society and what cultural editors deem to be relevant," explains The Cult's lead singer Ian Astbury. "It could be the feral punk rock kids squatting in abandoned homes or the spirited individual who has little regard for social conventions. It's for people who choose not to tow the party line or try to fit in. It's for the free-thinkers who are creative and dynamic."
With the film clip, The Cult has captured the rising tensions and frustration of a growing group of disenfranchised youth. The provocative clip, from visionary director Michelle Peerali and starring hot young actress Hanna Mosqueda as the lead character, portrays the 19-year-old protagonist transforming from a lost and abandoned youth, overwhelmed by the state of the world large and at her own poor economic status and broken family at home, into an empowered strong woman who finds her inner strength in the end.
In the film clip, we see the lead character navigate a chaotic world looking for an answer only to realize in the end that what she was looking for all along was within her the whole time. "She realizes that the only solution for change is actually within her. It's about her self-awareness, inner strength, and waking her internal life, realizing she has to take command of the situation and has the power to break through," says Astbury, who appears in a cameo role along with band mates Billy Duffy (guitar), John Tempesta (drums), and Chris Wyse (bass). "In the end, she finds others who feel the same way. The message being, 'if you feel you don't fit it, it's okay. There are others out there. The tribe is there.'"
As Astbury sings in "For The Animals," the song and film clip is "for all the fucked up children staring down the barrel of a gun," a real and metaphorical image, the social, economic, and environmental cards this generation of youth has been dealt. It's a theme that is put into sharp focus by an aware Astbury on the band's new album, Choice of Weapon, due May 22 on Cooking Vinyl.
"Your choice of weapon can be anything you use to deal with your world. It could be self-knowledge. I think we're at a crossroads, as individuals and as a society, to define our intentions in life. What do you choose to do with your life? What do you need to really flourish? How do I not get stuck being a slave to convention? And as the character in the film clip writes on the wall, 'How many more ways will they find to reinvent boredom?'"
These are just some of the observations The Cult shares in "For the Animals" and on Choice of Weapon.
This is a new world.
A new fight.
A new Cult.
Confirmed dates for The Cult's 2012 North American tour are as follows:
- MAY
25 San Diego, CA - Humphreys By the Bay
26 Las Vegas, NV - M Resort
27 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
30 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
- JUNE
1 Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre
2 Windsor, ON - Great Canadian Beaverfest, Riverfront Festival Plaza
3 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - Indoor Stage
5 Boston, MA - House of Blues
7 Buffalo, NY - Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf
8 New York, NY - Terminal 5
9 Hampton Beach, NH - Ballroom
10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
12 Washington, D.C. - The Fillmore
13 Norfolk, VA - The Norva
15 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
16 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
17 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
19 Houston, TX - House of Blues
20 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
22 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
Related links:
The Cult's Official Site (Ticket information available)
The Cult on Facebook
