Everybody Is Wrong

Directed by Chris Sasha Devey (she/her)

2024

Everybody Is Wrong is a single from Midlands based Mulk - a UK rock band formed in 2020 featuring Sasha Swift and friends - and their new song has a uniquely animated music video.

The short film is directed and animated by Sasha Swift who also provides guitar, bass, drums, synth, music and lyrics (!) to the track. Guesting on vocals and providing additional lyrics is singer (and one-time Midlands Movies comic-con contributor) Liz Marriott.

The song’s electro-rock-tinged sound is accompanied by the visuals which mix real-life filmed footage of the duo, alongside more animated elements ripped from the pages of a notebook.

Live gig photos, stickers and printed text give the video a suitable scrapbook feel with many of the lyrics being expertly delivered by scrawled pencil handwriting.

Polaroid photos add to its diary feeling, and they work well with certain lyrics like “I need to find myself” which read like an entry into a private memoir.

The animation also turns the two leads’ performances into animated characters as well - again using a pencil-drawn style. In many (good) ways, the film has a similarity to the end credits of Spider-Man: Homecoming which also uses a scrapbook of techniques to infuse a youthful energy and tone.

And at times, the pure white lines combined with wild sketching also reminded me of the famous A-ha “Take On Me” video as well. Which is no bad thing.

As we get to a more instrumental section, the filmmaker has spliced in footage from live show gigs. And we wrap up with another neat technique where more lyrics are highlighted from printed text cribbed from the torn-out page of a what looks like a novel.

For general audiences, the video may depend highly on your taste in the musical style of the band. But whether that’s your thing or not, there’s certainly a great variety in styles and techniques that bring the song alive through what we're seeing - more so at times than its tepid tempo.

Everybody Is Wrong is an excellent visual experience that complements the band’s song, creating an enigmatic written-biography of sorts. Its clever combo of styles also deliver a snapshot of well-edited clippings and keepsakes, which pleasingly helps establish the band’s eclectic ambience and punky outlook.

★★★

3 / 5

Mike Sales

Find out more about the filmmaker at www.sashadevey.com