Slayyyter’s new video would’ve done numbers on Tumblr. The St. Louis singer embodies a ’50s, Lana Del Rey-esque aesthetic in the new music video for her heartache-stained single i think he’s got a girl. The single is another release from Wor$t Man in America —after brand new chanel$ and crank 2—, a companion album to her critically acclaimed Wor$t Girl in America, due out on December 4.
Dressed in revenge attire à la Princess Di, Slayyyter gives us a portrait of a sad, lonely, probably rich 1950s housewife, an image that isn’t far from reality (maybe not the money part, in most cases). With heavy guitars and delightful beautiful-loser styling and makeup reminiscent of Hole’s Live Through This and its portrayal of the sadness and emptiness that sometimes come with vapid female-assigned goals (becoming prom queen, getting married, etc.), Slayyyter challenges herself by demonstrating that she can do well in different genres. She slays, as her name suggests.
Away from her usual hard electropop, this new era finds her approaching more of a rock-star persona. Even the lyrics are toned down on this one. Is it a gimmick? Looking more traditionally feminine than ever on an album titled Wor$t Girl in America while embracing a sound traditionally linked with masculinity? This might be a hint of what’s to come, and, if it proves true, let us say it first: Slayyyter, the genius that you are.
Not much happens in the video except her lying around in pumps by a pool (scary, honestly) and the occasional burnt barbecue, but that’s the idea behind the self-directed piece: nothing really happens on the outside when you’re inside your own mind, going crazy over someone. This mirrors the boredom and desperation of a housewife. Let it remind us, at least, that if you’re going crazy over someone who isn’t worth it, let’s hope you’re doing it while listening to girl-fronted rock and roll and wearing something that makes you look like Marilyn Monroe, rather than eating ice cream on your couch.