The legendary composer Danny Elfman has taken to revisiting his pre-film score roots, as he’s been releasing a single a month via Anti Records, a division of punk and alternative mainstay label Epitaph Records. His March release is a dizzying number that traipses along the line between his whimsical film scores and his Oingo Boingo new wave madness, all with a delightfully strange music video.
“Kick Me” is an eccentric, energetic number full of orchestral flourishes, loads of toms, and a biting rhythm guitar moving things along. The music video is a mindfuck, and given that we’re dealing with Danny Elfman, that is saying something. We have these two warped and deformed creatures kicking one another, while Elfman himself (who looks damn good for pushing 70 years of age, mind you) performs the song shirtless, swinging his arms around and living out the demented nature of this track.
Zach Hill of Death Grips and Hella remixed the song as well, putting a math rock spin on the track with a harsh noise backbone. It’s disorienting, as if the listener really did take a kick to the face and is trying to regain their composure afterwards. It’s a strange but compelling listen, and furthers the fan theory that Elfman may work on the long-rumored Death Grips film, following the 2015 Bottomless Pit short that was posted on Death Grips’ YouTube channel.
Danny Elfman is putting out a new single on the 11th of every month, meaning it won’t be long until we have another new track from one of the foremost composers living today. Stream “Kick Me” and the Zach Hill remix below:
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