Mudhoney - It Is Us

MAY 08 2006 · 12:00

Mudhoney - It Is Us (2006) Director: Rob 'Whitey' McConnaughy Era: Post-Grunge Political Revival (2006) - Mid-2000s indie/punk resurgence during the Iraq War era; Seattle grunge originators returning to Sub Pop with politically charged material and an expanded sonic palette including brass instrumentation. High curatorial value as a primary visual artifact of Mudhoney's political reinvention in the mid-2000s, directed by a filmmaker with documented roots in both the punk/indie music video world and the MTV action-sports subculture (Jackass). The video's restrained, naturalistic aesthetic offers a sharp contrast to the era's dominant high-production MTV style, making it a meaningful counterpoint document for studies of underground rock visual culture in the George W. Bush era. Confirms 2006 as production year via multiple independent sources. Context: Released in March 2006 on Sub Pop Records, 'It Is Us' is the second track from Mudhoney's seventh studio album 'Under a Billion Suns,' a politically charged record forged in the context of the ongoing U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title itself, echoing the phrase 'I've seen the enemy and it is us', reflects the album's sardonic, self-implicating critique of American complicity in wartime. The video's aesthetic of muted warmth, slowness, and visual restraint mirrors this inward, reckoning tone. Mudhoney, founding architects of the Seattle grunge and Sub Pop scenes since 1988, had returned to Sub Pop after a stint on Reprise/Warner Brothers, reclaiming underground credibility while expanding their sound with brass instrumentation and a more overtly political lyrical stance. Director notes: Confirmed as director of 'It Is Us' by the Music Video Wiki (Fandom) with a 2006 date stamp, consistent with the March 7, 2006 release of the album 'Under a Billion Suns' on Sub Pop Records. The video's quantitative profile, low brightness (53.19/255), minimal motion (4.77), slow editing (8.26s avg. shot), warm tungsten color temperature (2.09), and muted saturation (39.12), is consistent with McConnaughy's naturalistic, low-budget indie music video aesthetic documented across his punk/indie catalog. No additional specific production details for this video are available from verified public sources.