American rock duo The Black Keys have released the clip for Fever, the first single taken from their forthcoming eighth studio album Turn Blue, and they look like they’re sweating over a pretty hilarious prank the pair pulled on their very own label.
In the Fever clip (below), frontman Dan Auerbach plays a sweaty televangelist in a videotaped infomercial, attempting to spread the gospel in the name of donations. The video was directed by Theo Wenner, who works for Rolling Stone and is the son of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner.
But that’s not where the fun stops. If you call the number on the screen in the video, you can hear drummer Patrick Carney, posing as the frontman of a New Age band from Rhode Island by the ridiculous name of Quartzazium, put in a call to his real band’s label, Nonesuch Records.
Attempting to get his oddly monikered band signed, and trying not to laugh in the process, Carney tells Nonesuch that a representative from Atlantic Records told him to contact them for an audition, and that one of their reps would be interested in hearing their new album, Terrestrial Feelings.
When asked just who told him to contact Nonesuch, Carney drops the name Rob Cavallo, who just so happens to be a chairman at Warner Brothers Records. Once Cavallo’s name is dropped, there’s a definite sense of confusion, and a mild touch of panic, on the other end of the line.
Carney claims that Cavallo “said that our music lacked edge but that you people would appreciate it”. After being put through to Nonesuch’s A&R department, Carney and Auerbach can be heard giggling uncontrollably.
Fever the song marks a move away from the riff-tastic of the duo’s previous work, perhaps a reason why the campaign behind the band’s latest releases are a step in the direction of strange (don’t forget they kicked things off by announcing the single via Mike Tyson’s Twitter page).
Turn Blue is set for release in Australia on Friday, 9th May.
Check out this week’s new videos right here!
Watch: The Black Keys – Fever
Watch: The Black Keys – Quartzazium Prank Call
