Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler Turns His Face Into a Canvas in ‘Wrong Train’ Video

The Psychedelic Furs have released a music video for “Wrong Train,” a track off the new wave outfit’s 2020 album, Made of Rain.

The black-and-white clip was directed by photographer and filmmaker Hans Neleman, who drew inspiration from paintings made by Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler. The clip comprises a compelling collage centered around sequences in which Butler covers his face in paint. The photos and videos that Neleman and Butler made were then handed over to Peter Sebastian, who digitally manipulated them for the final cut.

“‘Wrong Train’ explores the theme of a disintegrating relationship and the idea was to deliver something rooted in a more abstract realm rather than illustrating the lyrics literally,” Neleman said in a statement. “I photographed and filmed Richard while painting his face as if he were delivering an art performance.”

Butler added: “‘Wrong Train’ continues the black and white textured, mysterious feel of the previous videos from Made of Rain. It was a pleasure working along with Hans Neleman on this project. The creativity Hans, Peter Sebastian, and their team brought shows in every frame. Much like in paintings, imagery in this video is altered to where it is seen in an entirely different way.”

The Psychedelic Furs released Made of Rain last July marking their first album in 29 years since 1991’s World Outside.