Backing up their ARIA nomination announcement, hip-hop outfit Thundamentals have today shared their new single and video “Déjà Vu” lifted from their #2 ARIA Album Everyone We Know.

Directed by award-winning writer/director Aimée-Lee X. Curran, the video was shot on a property in the Blue Mountains region where band members from Thundamentals first got their start.

Says Aimee- Lee, “Listening to Deja Vu, it struck me that although the music itself feels uplifting, with a sweet, child-like quality, the lyrics were actually quite melancholic. This odd coupling of the happy with the sad, led me to create a funny, tongue-in-cheek story set in a dark world. It is something between a cult, and a pointless, absurd summer camp. The Leader is like your lame, fastidious, annoying boss. He keeps his minions drugged up and forces them to perform the same inane actions, day in, day out. We’ve all been there. Hating our jobs. Feeling like there’s something more to life, somewhere, out there. Enter our hero girl, who rebels against drug-induced conformity and breaks free of the cycle of deja vu into her own dreams of dance and creative expression.”

About the song and video, band member Tuka explains, “Society is a cult and history repeats. Mass media, social media, our education system, our political system, our cultural traditions, our peers and family etc… All contribute to our worldview. They are huge factors that shape our understanding and in turn, they help condition us from an early age to think and feel a certain way about things, we all share common norms.”

“As abstract as this clip may seem we really wanted to create something a bit absurd in the attempt to highlight how dangerous it is to never question or think critically about our world and our roll in it. Humans are creatures of habit and routine, which is fine for the most part but sometimes we normalise cycles of behaviour that can have negative effects or hold us back from discovering our true “self” and our real purpose eg, what makes us feel content at the end of the day, not what is expected from us. just because “that’s the way it’s done” does not mean that’s the way you have to do it to be happy.”

Everyone We Know was recorded at the studio of good friends Hermitude in Sydney’s inner suburbs and is nominated for Best Urban Album for the ARIA Awards 2017 (announced November 28th). The album was triple j feature album on release and includes hits Never Say Never, Ignorance Is Bliss, 21 Grams and Think About It (feat Peta & The Wolves). Featured on the album is a cast of friends – including guests Peta and the Wolves, Hilltop Hoods and Thundamentals previous collaborators Mataya and Laneous.

Nov 4th – This That Festival, Newcastle NSW
Nov 18th – A Weekend in the Gardens, Melbourne VIC
Nov 25th – Sets On The Beach, Perth WA
Dec 2nd – VanFest, Forbes NSW
Dec 28th – Falls Festival, Lorne VIC
Dec 29th – Falls Festival, Marion Bay TAS
Dec 31st – Falls Festival, Byron Bay NSW
Jan 1st 2018 – Field Day, Sydney NSW
Jan 5th 2018 – Summernats, Canberra ACT
Jan 6th 2018 – Falls Festival, Fremantle WA
Tickets From thundamentals.com.au