What Gives? Is Every Time I Die’s New Video a Rip-Off of Microwave?

Last week, metalcore veterans Every Time I Die released a music video for “Map Change” off their latest album Low Teens. NPR called it a “bleak and beautiful love letter to Buffalo,” but it may have originally been an amorous note to Georgia. The grainy collage of delinquent ruckus and rural American grit appears to be suspiciously reminiscent of Microwave’s video for “Vomit.” The only distinct difference I see is that Buffalo looks fucking miserable juxtaposed to Atlanta.

After “Vomit” was released in August, ETID hired the director, Kyle Thrash, to shoot a video for one of the singles from Low Teens. The result, as you can see, is a real head-scratcher. The awkwardness is compounded by the the timing of “Map Change,” which was released on the heels of ETID’s public spat with artwork thieves Foster The People.

????? A post shared by Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) on Apr 27, 2017 at 3:54pm PDT



So is this just a template and style Thrash chose to employ twice in short succession? It’s hard to imagine a widely respected band like ETID plotting to recreate an up-and-coming band’s video in cold blood.

Let’s examine some screenshots.

Hot damn! That’s a little too close for comfort, right?

Perhaps this is just the beginning for Thrash and we’ll get to see all our favorite artists spliced between a kaleidoscope of late night debauchery and forgotten Americana. Perhaps we’ll soon get a love letter to Scottsdale, or Birmingham, or maybe Scranton. For the record, none of Thrash’s other work seems to feature this aesthetic, including his most recent video for Sorority Noise.

To be fair, both songs are absolute bangers and the visuals are pretty memorizing, so maybe there’s just more to love. Either way you look at it, two things are clear: Thrash has some serious brass balls to pull this stunt and the only movie he owns is Gummo.

Am I blowing this out of proportion? Let us know what you think.