If Something’s Gonna Kill Me digital single and video

The latest digital single If Something’s Gonna Kill Me (It Might As Well Be Love) is now available to stream or download here. Taken from the band’s forthcoming studio album Dark Matters, which is released on 10th September, the track is a lyrical tribute to dear departed band member Dave Greenfield whilst, musically, it is a nod to the electro-pop of bands such as Kraftwerk. As with the And If You Should See Dave… digital single, anyone who has pre-ordered Dark Matters from The Stranglers official store will receive an email with a link for a complimentary download of If Something’s Gonna Kill Me. To accompany the release, an stunning, apocalyptic promo video was made by US filmmaker Daniel Oramas with a storyboard which interpreted the song’s lyrics in a totally different way. Coupled with the track, it makes for emotional viewing. We hope you like it…

Wanting to work with the next generation of creative innovators, the band put out an open brief to filmmakers to pitch for the video. Instantly Oramas’ arresting tale of an elderly couple still very much in love at the end of the world leapt out of all the different pitches for its poise and poeticism. In storyboarding the idea, it expanded into something even more complex; the heartbreak of parents losing their children to war, the futility of conflict in a post-nuclear age, and how our worldview is shaped by the media we consume.

Referring to the video, JJ said: “A song can be interpreted in so many different ways. Daniel’s interpretation is nothing like I envisaged. So in my book that’s great.”