Single Review: Sum 41, ‘Fake My Own Death’

Single: Fake My Own Death

Artist: Sum 41

Record Label: Hopeless Records

Rating: 3.8/5

Sum 41 is back on the music scene after their last album in 2011, Screaming Bloody Murder. The five year hiatus gave the band time to recollect their originality and announce the biggest comeback ever. With the band joining a new record label and conquering many trial and errors over the years, it was announced in early June that Sum 41 is dropping their new album, 13 Voices , in October.

To keep up the hype for the highly-anticipated album, they dropped not only a single, but a music video on June 29^th.

The title of the song is “Fake My Own Death” and let me tell you, the music video is trippy.

What do I mean by trippy? Well, let me ask you this. Have you ever see any installments of the infamous YouTube video series, Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared? Never heard of it? Let me break it down.

Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared  is a mini YouTube series that contains weird interactions of cartoons and their involvement in the 21^st century. Their involvement eventually leads to disaster and craziness that can’t even be explained.  However, behind all the cartoon madness, there is some deep psychological meaning for the video and I believe it is the same for this music video.

At least I think there is some meaning behind it.

The video starts off in a normal fashion. B-roll shots of citizens walking through the city. A band that just happens to be in the middle of it all. They start performing their song. Typical pop-punk boys jumping around while playing their guitars Typical stuff.

Here’s the kicker. You start seeing graphics 50 seconds into the video and you think, “Oh. Those are some cool effects they added in there.” Then, it gets weirder. You got the nyan-cat appearing randomly behind a guy. Miley Cyrus is casually sitting naked on a wrecking ball as it swings by the band. I could forgive all of that being there if it wasn’t for just one thing.

This one thing entirely changed my perspective on this music video. It was something I never thought I ever see again: Kim Kardashian’s naked body and two little Angry Birds flying around on my computer screen. There was a few more things that got to me, but I would go on about it for another two pages before I can even get to my point.

Speaking of which, here’s my rough analysis. As mentioned before, the name of the song is “Fake My Own Death.” Because of the nature of the music video, I am pretty sure I know why the song is titled the way it is.

The world is becoming consumed by meme culture. This would explain the naked Kim Kardashian and the random tea-sipping Kermit the Frog.

Judging by the lyrics, it is believed that this meme culture has grown severely out of control. In order to put a stop to it, it just might be to fake your own death versus giving to pop culture.

There could also be a chance that there is no explanation for all the craziness and it was just there to be there. No matter how you look at it, the video is still trippy.

However, this isn’t going to be the last time we are going to hear from Sum 41. Between now and October 7, expect new music and possibly even crazier music videos. Nonetheless, Sum 41 is back with new awesome tracks and I couldn’t be happier.