First Aid Kit add a dash of the supernatural to their new “Fireworks” video, which stars sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg at an Eighties-style high school prom. The musicians look like rivals from a coming-of-age movie: Klara plays the classic nerd, wearing oversized glasses; Johanna, with her frizzy hair and heavy make-up, is the token prom queen.
Director Mats Udd follows the characters as they pose for pictures and slow dance with their dates. An eerie white light descends onto the crowd, transfixing the other teens. The odd scene is connected to Klara’s “I Want to Believe” UFO poster on her bedroom wall and the psychedelic, prismatic visual effects that periodically punctuate the clip.
In a statement, the Swedish folk duo said they’ve “always loved the idea of American high school proms,” though they were never able to experience one in real life. “It was incredible to get to recreate one in our hometown of Stockholm,” they added. “Aesthetically it’s such a different look from our previous video – it was fun to go full Eighties mode. We got to dress up our friends and our mom in full on retro looks. We had a blast shooting this video and found out ‘Fireworks’ is a great song to slow dance to.”
“Fireworks” highlights First Aid Kit’s upcoming fourth LP, Ruins, out January 19th. The 10-track album also includes previously issued singles “It’s a Shame” and “Postcard.”
The duo will kick off a headlining North American tour – their first since 2015 – on January 24th in Oakland, California.
