Behind the scenes of Squid’s apocalyptic “Building 650” video

A couple of years ago, Squid vocalist/drummer Ollie Judge became spellbound by Ryu Murakami’s In the Miso Soup and the 2003 film Lost in Translation while flying to Japan for the first time. That experience is the core of the band’s latest song, “Building 650,” unraveling the isolation and disconnect of visiting an unfamiliar country while building into an intricate trance. “This loneliness feels exaggerated in Tokyo,” he says. “On the surface, it’s hectic and full of people, but when you listen, it’s eerily quiet.”

Its video matches the experience with depth and precision. Directed by longtime peer Felix Geen, who read the book in one sitting upon being tapped, the release resembles an apocalyptic cinema, relying on constant motion to fuel a greater sense of dread. Green traveled to Japan to shoot the video with locals Daisuke Hasegawa and Kuya Tatsujo, incorporating 8mm film footage of Tokyo alongside the unease of navigating an alien space. Reflecting on the experience, Green tells us, “Squid have a way of writing music that challenges you as the listener.” That’s certainly true, as their forthcoming album, Cowards, pursues the nature of evil — nine tracks about nine people whose morality feels like myth, imbued with grim comedy. 

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As such, the “Building 650” video skitters between shots of a blazing city, a couple wandering through the streets, and Frank, the murderous VFX figure who’s also “a real nice guy.” But for all its whirling camera angles and deconstructed city shots, its central tenets remain human. “For this script, I believed it was necessary to incorporate not only inspiration from the novel but also scenes from contemporary Japan,” Tatsujo says. “The wave of technology is overwhelming, and an intense sense of fear, driven by the need to interact with others, envelops the city. Amid this, I think I was able to depict the young people struggling to live and the landscape of the city.”

The process was so harmonious that Green would consider working with actors again. “As someone who does not come from a traditional film education background, I always shy away from doing things with actors, scripts, lights, and big cameras, but it was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever had the opportunity to be involved in,” he explains. “I feel that the whole video came together very nicely, with the human touch added by Daisuke and Kuya. I had such a novel experience working on this video: running around Tokyo for eight days and nights, mostly nights, filming all the back alleys and dark corners. I would do it all over again.”

“We were able to depict the complex and chaotic nature of Tokyo as Felix perceives it while also considering how we, as Japanese people, respond to it,” Hasegawa adds. “The result is a piece that touches on the deeper layers of society, much like the chaotic world portrayed in In the Miso Soup. I believe this project has become a reflection of the world we live in today.”

See Squid’s video for “Building 650,” plus BTS photos from the international shoot, below.