Music Video Analysis: Living In America by The Sounds

"Living In America" opens with five people walking down the street and the split-screen technique is used to signify average American life because each of the members is almost walking in the same way. The music that plays at the beginning appears to be a combination of electronic and pop music, those styles being a metaphor for their age as it's energetic and contrasting because there appears to be something going on.

It cuts to inside a drab building, the setting a showcase for the reality of what they're going through, there not being an optimistic situation and it relates to codes and conventions of New Wave as the themes that are used, including socio-economic class and lengths people go to, will inspire debate. There's a styling and arts impression, as each member is dressed in black, the aesthetic goth and this is a song that might appeal to a younger audience as pop music appears to be the sound that plays. The subject matter counters this however, making the point irrelevant and as a result, not as likely to appeal to my age range.

Desaturated colours are a portrayal of the overall attitude the band has towards America and they seem to be abandoned, as if all they've got is each other and pornstars are implied to be a part of their life. This is another reference to New Wave because the band are making a clear statement about what they think. As Maja Ivarsson sings the first part of the main chorus "We're not living in America, but we're not sorry" the split-screen technique is used again, where four of the members each perform their segment of the music, the feeling of cynicism increasing towards politics and class. New Wave is one of the few genres where these themes can be covered, but the uneasy use of synthesiser sound to make the statement might counter this point.

Maja is carrying herself in a way that's intended to be alluring, an example is how she moves her body language while singing the lyrics "Look out, shape up, boy you got to turn around, and wake up honey" in a disco style that's relevant, as disco was one of the genres that influenced the New Wave movement the most. The song comes from Mod (subculture), one of the influences on New Wave as people who are involved in Mod become fixed on aspects such as clothes and the subculture is shown through the band members, as they display a clear sense of fashion and music. Ultimately this appears to be a song that's aimed towards a more niche crowd of New Wave fans as the political statement is clear but the music is quite modern so the two styles don't merge to the best extent. All these elements combine to make it unclear whether it'll work for the age range I'd designated as my target audience, sixteen to twenty-five.