Laura Reed, Laur Joamets Bid 2020 Goodbye With ‘Gifts of Destruction and Disorder’

An endangered polar bear, malnourished and at death’s door, says fuck it all and indulges all of our earthly vices in the animated video for “Gifts of Destruction and Disorder,” an apocalyptic new song from Lore, the Nashville duo of Laura Reed and Laur Joamets.

The bear gambles in a floating casino, pops some bottles, drives a gas guzzler, and goes to a strip club and a hookah bar, all before an asteroid hurtles toward earth. It’s 2020 in an animated nutshell, all of it tied together by the howling vocals of Reed and the guitar skronk of Joamets.

“The inspiration for the video was to pay respect to all of the species that are in danger of being wiped out indefinitely,” Joamets, formerly the guitar foil to Sturgill Simpson, said in a statement. “I envisioned the last polar bear dying, but before that happened, I wanted this bear to experience some of the many pleasures and vices known to man, to give the bear perspective of why we choose to be as ignorant to our surroundings as we are.”

Reed says the “tongue-in-cheek” video is a counterpoint to the intense and timely lyrics. “We actually recorded and finished the video before the pandemic, but now it seems like a true reflection of today’s times through the lens of an alternate universe,” she says.

“Gifts of Destruction and Disorder” is the follow-up to Lore’s “Surrender,” which arrived in October. The band will release their debut album sometime next year. Meanwhile, a livestream performance is available on InstrumentHeadLive.com through January 31st.