Watch Johnny Marr’s Artsy Video for ‘The Bright Parade’

Johnny Marr has a new music video for his recent single “The Bright Parade.” Directed by Marr and Mat Bancroft, the black and white video cuts together raw footage of trains at night, street scenes and the musician himself looking pensive. It’s got a French New Wave sort of vibe, with the former Smiths guitarist evoking an ominous, experimental aesthetic.

“I think this track is more of a story… more of a psychedelic musical track,” Marr recently told DIY. “Maybe I’ve been quite preoccupied with the cosmos over the last couple of years but it’s the perfect metaphor for the star system — whether that’s a rock star or a movie star or a reality TV star. I think half my mind was still in the cosmos and the other half was around these vacuous modern day reality stars. ‘The Bright Parade’ puts the two together and puts it on top of a psychedelic backing track.”

“The Bright Parade,” released earlier this month, follows Marr’s previously released song, “Armatopia,” which arrived in February with a karaoke-themed music video. The musician’s latest solo album, Call the Comet, dropped in 2018.

Marr told NME that he hopes to collaborate with New Order’s Bernard Sumner for an upcoming release. “I think me and Bernard will probably do something again in the future,” Marr said. “Maybe I’d like to rope Stephen Morris in at some point. Stephen’s always been one of my favorite musicians — not just because he’s from Manchester, but no one’s ever managed to play like him, before or since. Also, I really rate Gillian too. So maybe I’ll just join New Order… on bass.”