Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Christina Rubino’s new music video begins with a quote from Cesar A. Cruz: “Art should comfort the disturbed… and disturb the comfortable.”
The video, which accompanies her new single, “Godspeed and Guns,” uses that motif as a basis for a storyline filled with foreboding imagery. A black cat finds its parallel in a woman dressed in extravagant mourning clothes who stares wistfully after Rubino and a pal set off in a convertible, Thelma and Louise style.
Immediately engrossing, the video clocks in at just under six minutes long, making it more of a short than a snackable music video glittering with tasty images and a lightweight plot.
Likewise, the lyrics of “Godspeed and Guns” (“He grabbed me by the throat / with this look in his eye / He said he knew I was a snake / and snakes always lie”) add to the intensity as the girls pick up a mysterious hitchhiker.
In a socially relevant plot twist, however, it’s revealed that Rubino and her friend are something of vigilante do-gooders, butchering men who hurt them and saving their heads in jars as trophies. (“Rapist” is carved into one man’s forehead, suggesting that instead of serial killers, these women are more like Robin Hood.)
Things are not always what they seem, however, and after our two protagonists are eventually caught, the truth is revealed in a haunting backstory. No spoilers — you’ll just have to watch the video.
Augmented with Spanish-style licks courtesy of guitarist Johnny Phillips and trumpet player Eli Maurer, “Godspeed and Guns” walks the line between an anthemic battle cry and an earworm of a ballad that perfectly combines Rubino’s distinct Rockabilly style with mainstream indie rock in a Johnny Cash-esque way.
The titular track of Rubino’s new album, out earlier this month, “Godspeed and Guns” represents a timely new work from this strong female voice. For more, find her on Facebook or visit ChristinaRubino.com.
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