Alien Ant Farm - Around The Block

2006

Alien Ant Farm - Around The Block (2006) Director: Fab Fernandez & Bobby Hewitt Era: Post-Nu-Metal Alt-Rock Decline (2006–2007) - Late-cycle catalog video produced under Universal Music Enterprises during the commercial twilight of Alien Ant Farm's *Up in the Attic* campaign, a period marked by label instability, reduced band lineup, and the broader collapse of the nu-metal market. High archival value as a late-career document of a commercially pivotal transition period for Alien Ant Farm, and as a representative artifact of the aesthetic and economic contraction that swept nu-metal and alternative rock music video production in the mid-2000s. The video's stripped-down, two-member format and warm urban realism make it a useful counterpoint to the band's more elaborate early work, and a microcosm of broader industry shifts toward lower-budget, performance-centric video production during the MySpace promotion era. Context: Produced during a commercially difficult period for Alien Ant Farm and for nu-metal-adjacent rock broadly, this video documents the band at a transitional low point: their fourth album *Up in the Attic* debuted at #114 on the Billboard 200 before quickly dropping off entirely. The band had been trapped in a years-long label dispute following Geffen's acquisition of DreamWorks, resulting in the shelved *3rd Draft* album being reissued in modified form as *Up in the Attic* via Universal Music Enterprises' catalog division. The stripped-down production, two members, urban realism, minimal budget, visually reflects both the band's constrained resources and the post-nu-metal landscape in which elaborate, high-concept rock videos had given way to leaner, performance-driven work. The video's 2006–2007 window also coincides with MySpace's peak as the primary music promotion platform for legacy alternative acts. Director notes: The video was produced under © 2006 Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc., and was included on the band's *BUSted: The Definitive DVD* released July 18, 2006, alongside videos for 'Forgive and Forget' and 'She's Only Evil'. Notably, the production features only two of the band's members, vocalist Dryden Mitchell and drummer Mike Cosgrove, reflecting the reduced lineup active during the *Up in the Attic* campaign following bassist Tye Zamora's departure. The video was later released as a standalone single on iTunes in 2007.