ENTER SHIKARI Drop Official Music Video For "(pls) set me on fire"
British rock band Enter Shikari has just released the music video for "(pls) set me on fire.” The track is the first single off the forthcoming new album A Kiss For The Whole World. Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds took a more active role in developing the music video than he has previously done. Reynolds conceived and directed the video aided by the production talents of London-based studio Kode Media.
“I’ve not always been happy with our previous music videos, so figured I’d put my money where my mouth was and direct these ones myself,” said Reynolds. “I wanted the ‘(pls) set me on fire’ video to feel minimal and uncomplicated, which is actually the polar opposite of the next video. So, given that the main function of this video is really just to set up the next one, I think it came out fucking great.”
Recorded in the docklands of East London, "(pls) set me on fire” utilizes a unique camera shot. The whole video was completely shot with one locked-off camera. The shoot occurred in the beginning hours of the new year 2023.
A Kiss For The Whole World is the first album from Enter Shikari in three years. The band’s previous album since Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible reached #2 on the UK charts. Despite their success, the band had a crisis of self-doubt about their future in the years after their last album release.
“At the time it felt like we ourselves, as musicians, were experiencing the death of our band”
Reynolds found himself drained creatively. The period after the release of Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible would be a traumatic one for Reynolds.
“Honestly, I thought I was fucked,” admitted Reynolds. “I’ve never felt so detached from my soul, my purpose, my fucking spirit. I didn’t write music for almost two years. The longest I’d gone before that was two weeks. I was broken. It’s almost as if my brain had asked: “What is the point in music if it cannot be shared? What is the point in writing music if it’s not to be experienced with others?” and then promptly switched itself off. ‘(pls) set me on fire’ grew out of that desperation. This song is a projectile vomit of positive energy. Every emotion trapped inside me for two years, finally set free.”
It was performing in front of 10,000 passionate fans at the Download Festival Pilot that reignited a creative spark within Reynolds.
“I just didn’t realize that the human and physical connection to other people were so central to how I write”
With newfound motivation, Enter Shikari moved to a rundown farmhouse in the coastal town of Chichester where they built a makeshift studio The band utilized solar power in running the studio. The rural setting proved to be vital in creating A Kiss For The Whole World.
“Back to basics. This band - my best friends - bundled into an old farmhouse, miles away from anywhere. Off-grid, and ready to rediscover ourselves. This album is powered by the sun, the most powerful object in our solar system. And I think you can tell. It’s a collection of songs that represent an explosive reconnection with what Enter Shikari is. The beginning of our second act.”
A Kiss For The Whole World will be released on April 21st, 2023 via SO Recordings / Ambush Reality. Enter Shikari is also offering pre-orders of the album to come packaged with the Live From Alexandra Palace 3 album and DVD which was recorded at the band’s sold 10,000 capacity concert in London. This May Enter Shikari will play three special shows in the United States visiting the cities of Los Angeles (5/03), Chicago (5/5), and New York (5/10).
