It says a lot about Xiu Xiu’s excellent new album Angel Guts: Red Classroom that the video for first single “Stupid In The Dark” is almost playful. The Amir Shoucri-directed clip captures a grisly murder in disturbing detail, but not nearly as disturbing compared to much of the subject matter and sound of “Dark” and the recently released “Lawrence Liquors.” Someone getting beaten, knifed, drowned, and choked doesn’t even leave a dent compared to Jamie Stewart’s breathy admission of “Once we felt sorry for you people … but not that sorry,” over a single drum machine that stabs more than it beats. Xiu Xiu has been evolving and changing a lot over every album recently, and this reminds you that they’re in an especially good place right now, even if that place is horrific beyond description. Watch the video below.

Angel Guts: Red Classroom is out 2/4 via Polyvinyl.