Grimes has released the official video for her futuristic pop song, “Player of Games,” an epic short film directed by Anton Tammi and with story by Grimes. It plays on a number of different levels, not the least of which, as a sort of feminist allegory. Claire Boucher AKA: Grimes dressed in white battles the Dark Knight (played by Andrei Pishchalnikov) in heavy armor: at chess, with swords, with light sabers, even in a video game at one point in the video. It is a commentary, it seems, of the many levels we fight our “adversary,” whether it’s a literal fight for our lives or a more playful adventure to see if we can win at the many games life throws at us.

While the song, as originally written, seems to be about her lover (Elon Musk?)—“If I loved him any less / I’d make him stay / But he has to be the best / Player of games”—the video flips the script, to make the female, Grimes herself, to be the “player of games.” It is a moving song and a thrilling cinematic video, which riffs on the same theme a number of different and satisfying ways. (At one point Grimes is even on a gigantic deck of cards in the Dark Knight’s hands.) There’s much to be interpreted from the video, regarding the fight between “good” and “evil,” women and men, humans and technology, our wit faced with set challenges, and the list goes on. A mini-movie that highlights Grimes’ power in the pop and artistic world, definitely worth checking out.

Grime’s initially released “Player of Games” as a lyric video in the beginning of December, but this video decidedly ups the game. The song is fittingly a part of the new season of the video game, Rocket League. This is her first proper release since her 2020 album, Miss Anthropocene, and she looks to be releasing more singles in the near future, including possibly a song called “Love” that she teased in September on social media, which she said was a response to “privacy invasion, bad press, online hate, and harassment” she had experienced in the wake of her separation from Elon Musk. She has also appeared as a judge on the futuristic sing-off television show Alter Ego.