Billie Eilish’s music video Bury a Friend showcases a digital narrative approach in modern music videos through its surreal aesthetics and narrative ambiguity. Multiple hands and the cold lighting in the hospital ward create an atmosphere of oppression. This ambiguity challenges linear narratives and confronts the audience with the fragility of the artist’s identity and its relationship to consumer culture, metaphorically depicting the exploited state of creators in the global entertainment industry. Music videos transcend individual experiences as a vague narrative to form an implicit dimension of political expression (Goodwin, 1993, pp. 81-83). Through this ‘aesthetics of digital glitches,’ Eilish places her identity in a narrative of ambiguity, inviting the audience to interpret the emotions and symbolism actively.

(Music Video)

The visual aesthetics of Bury a Friend are influenced by cinematic narrative. The surreal style of the video shares commonalities with psychological horror movies, such as its use of strange movement design, dark lighting, and fragmented narrative to visualise anxiety and fear. For instance, the filming techniques reference the atmosphere-building of The Babadook, with non-linear narratives and psychological experiences to enhance emotional communication. This cinematic shift has allowed music videos to become a platform for in-depth exploration of emotions and symbols, thus blurring the boundaries between music, film, and visual art.

(Babadook Trailer)

In terms of identity reproduction, although gender or race are not directly explored, the video’s allusions to control and oppression reflect the exploitation and surveillance that young creators face in the entertainment industry. Railton and Watson point out that in music videos, “Expressions of gender and race often challenge or reinforce social norms through visual metaphors” (2011, p. 93). Thus, it reveals how digital aesthetics can be a powerful tool for expressing identity politics.

References:

Davis, E. (2014). The Babadook Official Trailer #1 (2014) – Essie Davis Horror Movie HD. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/k5WQZzDRVtw?si=2dZZ1Sda-RStATTQ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2024].

‌Eilish, B. (2019). Billie Eilish – bury a friend (Official Music Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/HUHC9tYz8ik?si=e2c7bdPvKAuor4H- [Accessed 17 Nov. 2024].

Goodwin, A. (1993). Dancing in the distraction factory : music television and popular culture. London: Routledge.

Kent, J. (Director). (2014). The Babadook [Film]. Melbourne: Causeway Films.

Railton, D. and Watson, P. (2011). Music video and the politics of representation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

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