CSS - Alcohol

2007

CSS - Alcohol (2007) Director: Jared Eberhardt Era: Mid-2000s Indie/Dance-Punk Boom (2006–2008) - Peak era of Brazilian electroclash export, Sub Pop international expansion, and New Rave/dance-punk crossover into mainstream indie markets This video is a key artifact of the mid-2000s dance-punk/electroclash era and represents CSS at their most iconic, irreverent, DIY, anti-glossy, and distinctly Brazilian in its exuberant disregard for convention. Its origin as a contest-won production makes it a notable case study in alternative commissioning models for music videos. The muted palette and warm tones create an intimate, almost home-video warmth that amplifies the song's party-chaos subject matter. Tier 1.5 value for cultural preservation. Context: Released in 2007 as part of the international rollout of CSS's debut album Cansei de Ser Sexy on Sub Pop, 'Alcohol' arrives at the peak of global appetite for irreverent Brazilian indie-dance. CSS had become a flagship act of the mid-2000s dance-punk and electroclash convergence, celebrated for their anti-image ethos and chaotic energy. The video's low-budget surrealist humor, centered on drunk bunnies, epitomizes the band's self-consciously absurdist, post-cool aesthetic, rejecting the slick production values of contemporary pop music videos in favor of DIY wit. The Sub Pop imprint, historically associated with American indie credibility, lent international weight to their Brazilian underground roots. Director notes: The video was produced in 2007 under Sub Pop copyright in the United Kingdom. BrooklynVegan noted Eberhardt was both a contest winner and described as an 'awesome director' in their coverage of the video's release. The video features a playful, surreal concept involving intoxicated bunnies, consistent with CSS's trademark irreverent, anti-serious brand identity. A separate, unrelated fan/contest video for the same song was also produced for QOOB TV by Stefano Polli with a karaoke concept, but the Eberhardt-directed version is the official release.