Sometimes the weight of expectation can pull down a piece of art that would otherwise float higher than the eye could see. It’s nice to be able to hear a song or see a video from a completely unfamiliar artist and process it without any prior notions of what it might or should be.

Such was the case with Pretty Sick’s video for “Black Tar.” If I’d heard of the band before, I didn’t remember. And the video is very well done. The shots made to look like camcorder and security footage are unnerving, and the story goes to interminably dark places.

Pretty Sick hits Chicago on October 25th at Schubas. Get your tickets here.