The new music video for British rapper and singer J Hus’ track Alien Girl follows two characters in parallel worlds. To capture their different perspectives, each one has their own video, but they move in tandem, with the character and environmental design changing depending on which world we’re in.

“We listened to the song and absorbed the lyrics – playful innuendos about sex and sci-fi – and it spawned a whole concept of two videos in two worlds playing out in the exact same time and composition but with two differing ends of the sexual anxiety spectrum,” the directors explain.

“We were inspired by the separate art departments used on Alien (1979) where Ron Cobb and HR Giger answered their briefs without seeing each other’s work until way into production.”

Rather than editing the two videos into one, the team launched a digital experience where viewers can switch between them throughout the song. The two options are named Beautiful and Brutal, the names drawn from J Hus’ 2023 album Beautiful and Brutal Yard, which Alien Girl appeared on.

It’s a simple approach but works seamlessly, with none of the frustrating lags that can sometimes tarnish web-based interactive experiences.

View the experience here; picnicstudio.tv