Glamour Magick body horror worthy of The Substance

Scottish duo Arab Strap have cemented their reputation as masters of the grotesque, consistently blurring the lines between music and body horror. If you thought they dealt in melancholy, prepare to brace yourself: their latest offering dives headfirst into the terrifying reality of aesthetic excess.

Their video for the 2024 track Strawberry Moon flirted with lycanthrope territory, but their new single, Glamour Magick, takes the theme into truly unsettling, visceral territory—a visual feast dripping with body horror reminiscent of David Cronenberg or The Substance.

The music itself is a scalpel aimed directly at the beauty industry. Set to a heavy krautrock groove, the track uses brutally honest lyrics to dissect the relentless pressure to look youthful and the lengths people will go to achieve it:

I pumped my face full of a stranger’s fat;
I did abdominal lipo, now my tummy’s so flat!
It takes years off me!

The lyrics are a stark inventory of cosmetic surgeries and biological extremes, culminating in the chilling realization that the pursuit of youth is an agonizing, costly endeavor. The song poses a direct query about time as our enemy, highlighting how much money we spend fighting against natural decay.

Lead singer Aidan Moffat explains this dark narrative, framing Glamour Magick not just as a critique of fashion, but as a deep meditation on consumerism and self-image. He reflects that the song stems from examining the routine treatments people engage in during middle age—from whitening toothpaste to facial fat injections—and questioning where the line between acceptable change and absolute self-erasure lies.

The visual presentation of the single further amplifies this theme. Directed by David Arthur, the video features Moffat seeking guidance from a cosmetic surgeon who hints at an occult agenda. The procedures depicted are presented not as benign treatments, but as rituals of transformation that carry unknown, potentially dangerous costs.

Arab Strap’s latest artistic statement is unapologetically clever and deeply unsettling. It reminds audiences that behind the veneer of glamour, there is often a raw, uncomfortable truth waiting to be exposed. For those ready to confront the unsettling paradoxes of modern beauty, Glamour Magick is an essential, if slightly sickening, listen.

The single follows their recent album, Half Told Tales, which is set to be released on September 4 via Rock Action.