You might have heard of a midlife crisis, but what about a quarter-life crisis? Yes, in our debt-ridden, technology-laden world, it seems we’re flipping our lids earlier than ever, and this is the new tag for our youthful disillusionment. As an example of the internal crises in question, take this poor chap in the video for INHEAVEN’s Bitter Town. He’s never happier than when he’s in his room jamming out to some tunes, but as soon as he’s faced with the overstimulation of the real world, he’s goes a bit, well, nuts. You might think he’s got it all: a sweet convertible ride with the band, his pick of suburbia’s eyelash-batting ladies, and a sweet ironic tee, but as his performance onstage proves, suburbia isn’t the cosy hand-holder it’s cracked up to be.
INHEAVEN’s Bitter Town is an ideal soundtrack to the bloke’s minor breakdown. Laden with Jesus and Mary Chain-style hope-infused horror, and injected with a good helping of The Who’s Teenage Wasteland, it’s sounds like the best thing to cling to when the rest of the world seems to be bobbing away without you. And no wonder the track fits so well – the band themselves wrote, directed, and edited the video. At least they’ve got their heads screwed on.