It’s still early in 2025, but we may have already gotten the music video of the year! “Data” from French experimental post-rock quartet, BRUIT ≤, is a visceral, epic 8-minute takedown of our digital, and increasingly looking dystopian, future.
BRUIT ≤, hailing from Toulouse, in the south-west of France, is made up of Théophile Antolinos, Clément Libes, Luc Blanchot, Julien Aoufi, and they, along with Mehdi Thiriot – the video’s director – answered some of our deeper questions about the release.
With what may be their magnum opus, “Data”, is an audiovisual barrage and existential slap to the face, right from it’s opening frame. They’ve crafted a radical protest piece disguised as a music video; an unapologetic takedown of our tech-obsessed trajectory, a modern requiem for the soul of humanity.
Dystopian Slideshow
Much more than a typical music video, it plays more like a dystopian slideshow on overdrive. Through a relentless barrage of images, both subliminal and overt, at one point, BRUIT ≤ takes us on a breakneck journey through human history: from ancient engravings to canvas masterpieces, then from 90s tech to brands and mega corporations. The arc is unmistakable: we traded expression for optimization, culture for commerce, dreams for dopamine hits.
“I think humanity has always needed symbols, but also a universal need to create. All these objects, these sculptures, these engravings are the witnesses of past eras, of civilizations that have now disappeared,” says Mehdi.
“So, I ask myself: what will remain of our civilization? What symbols will define our humanity for future civilizations? And above all, will these forms withstand the test of time? What will be left of us?”
Cartesian AI
In one the most poignant moments of the video, and possibly my favorite, they have a conversation with a ChatGPT-like AI module, asking it existential questions about life and humanity: What is life? What is humanity? What is art? What is the future? The AI responds not with words, but with images—rendered in machine-learned precision, but disturbingly narrow in scope. Predominantly Western, white, and heterosexual, echoing a Cartesian reduction of human complexity into clean, palatable stereotypes.
“AI is merely a reflection of the content used to train it. Since the majority are Western, white, and heterosexual, it is inevitable that certain ‘moral concepts’ seep into the minds of machines.”
Medhi continues, “it was also crucial that the AI appeared highly Cartesian, to the point of reaching a certain cynicism. This selection of images was also a way to create a dialogue with the informed viewer. The most famous among them is American Gothic, often regarded as the painting that best represents American conservatism, advocating traditional and backward-looking values. It serves as a warning.”
The pacing is punishing. Hundreds of images flicker by in a disorienting blur, too many to catch in one viewing. And along the way Mark Zuckerberg fittingly offers audio narration to this relentless drive to our hellish dystopian futures. Burning those words into our brains:
The Soundtrack to Collapse
Sonically, BRUIT ≤ are firing on all cylinders. The piece begins with that signature post-rock slow burn: layered textures, a swelling sense of dread. But as the images intensify, the music mutates. A drum-and-bass-like dirge kicks in, driving the tension higher with pounding percussion and distorted strings. It’s not danceable—it’s combustible.
Then, just when the chaos crests, comes the emotional pivot: a blissfully bittersweet piano motif, delicate and bare. The screens fade, the images slow. You’re left sitting in silence, almost guilty for having bought into the algorithm, for scrolling past beauty, for ignoring the warning signs. A masterstroke of contrast.
Clément speaks on crafting the soundscape for “Data”: “Rhythmically driven by an urgent drum & bass beat, the track confronts electronic elements, electric guitar and cello, with a brass ensemble and bicentennial organ, diluting what is organic and what is not. Through this process, we tried to illustrate the confusion we feel every day when faced with fake news, AI generated content or targeted advertising… asking the question What’s still social about our network? What’s still organic about our relationship with the world?”
Overall, “Data” sets out to answer the questions, what is humanity? And how far are we going to go? When asking them about their outlook on technology, humanity, and the optimism they have for our futures, it’s complicated.
“We don’t ask enough questions about who’s in charge, when we know very well that a technology that is beneficial to human beings, put in the wrong hands, can turn out to be harmful. So to talk about technology as a vector for progress is very naive if we don’t look at who holds the political power and the commercial monopolies.”
Théo concludes with a grim warning: “So I find it hard to imagine any way back other than a brutal collapse.”
Power to the People
BRUIT ≤ are far from just being mouth pieces, in a stand against the ethics of Spotify, their colossal new album, The Age Of Ephemerality, will not be available on major international streaming platforms. You can support them on Bandcamp when the album arrives April 25th.
Theo affirms this stance: “We have deliberately chosen to boycott the major streaming platforms, not because we don’t want music to be dematerialized, but because a few large social predators have cornered the digital monopoly by crushing artists.”
“We simply refuse to take part in this vast joke which only increases social misery and creates power-hungry monsters”
A Work of Art
“Data” isn’t meant to be enjoyed in the background. It’s not a video to casually share between Reels. It’s a call to attention—and perhaps, a call to arms. Whether you agree with their sentiment or not, it’s undeniable that BRUIT ≤ have crafted something that transcends music and enters into that rare realm of true art.
If this is the soundtrack to the end of the world, at least it’s got the decency to be this breathtaking on the way down.
The Age Of Ephemerality is out April 25th, and you can view their equally impressive video, “Ephemeral,” here, or their live video for “The Intoxication of Power” here.
