The title card bearing William Congreve’s adage “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” certainly sets the stage for the new video for “Wellfleet Outro” from Jamaican Queens, Detroit’s resident experimental popsters. Shot in non-linear fashion, the images chart a relationship’s inception and its eventual collapse among distrust, boredom, infidelity and — perhaps most shockingly — brutal violence. Directed by Andrew Miller, the video is an apt cinematic accompaniment to the tune’s bleak content.
The tune is built around scratchy glitches, fuzzy down-tempo beats and shimmering yet simple melodies. Ryan Spencer’s deadpan vocals in the verses are contrasted with Abby Fiscus’ lilting and sweet voice offering the plaintive refrain of “Oh, you bring me down / I don’t want to live here with you anymore” as a tranquil acoustic guitar is plucked. It’s pop music at its finest and darkest, morose yet inescapably captivating.
“Wellfleet Outro” hails from the Jamaican Queens’ 2013 album Wormfood, available on their Bandcamp page as a digital download and on limited edition vinyl on Feb. 11.