Rachael Sage’s latest album ‘Canopy‘ – alive with imagery that explores themes of empathy, LGBTQ+ representation, and compassion – ventures into an even more imaginative realm with her new animated video for ‘Kill The Clock.’ Mirroring the track’s urgent pace, vintage pop sensibilities, and heartfelt musings about the pressures she has faced throughout her youth and into adulthood, the video becomes a whimsical odyssey stitched together with Sage’s own illustrations, textures, and unmistakable spirit.
Directed by Carrisa Johnson,‘ Kill The Clock‘ unfurls less like a standard music video and more like an animated adventure – part childhood daydream, part retro reverie. The visuals dance in tune with the song’s jaunty, vintage-pop energy, conjuring a world where curious symbols, surreal landscapes, and playful oddities bloom from each lyric. Together, Johnson and Sage build a dazzling, fast-moving universe that mirrors the song’s emphatic horns, driving rhythm, and breathless energy.
The lyrics themselves take shape across the screen, guiding viewers through a series of dreamlike vignettes: gliding toward a grand house on a silver ice rink – one she might claim as her own – passing paper cups, melting candles, even drifting infants. And always, the refrain pulses beneath it all: “there’s a time bomb ticking,” an ever-present reminder of the pressures that shadow her days.
Yet at the heart of the video lies Sage’s pursuit of authenticity. In one striking moment, a cartoon Rachael steps into a hallway as a sign labelled “Not Good Enough” floats by. Instead of shrinking, she walks past it – away from the fantastical world of expectations and competition, toward the truth of her full, unfiltered self. The imagery is symbolic: an invitation to step beyond imposed limits and embrace one’s singular identity, echoing the larger message of the album.
All of these elements – its tension, its courage – lead naturally back to Sage’s own reflection on the song’s origins. As she explains:
‘…It’s very ‘80s-greed’-inspired – along with reflecting the insanely competitive aspects of the college application process – and reflects some of the unfortunate bullying I experienced. I chose to include a grown-up version of this song on the album not only because I intuited that The Sequins could bring it to new life, but because it’s essentially about corruption, written from a child’s perspective.”
In the end, ‘Kill The Clock’ becomes not just a visual companion to the music, but a poetic vessel for Sage’s story. It’s a fitting, imaginative crescendo to ‘Canopy,’ her most exploratory and memorable work yet.
