Photo courtesy of Museum Mouth

Wilmington’s Museum Mouth are one of North Carolina’s most intriguing young bands. Their fuzzy brand of pop-punk shines through with blown-out color on this year’s excellent Sexy But Not Happy LP (available for free download). Hooky from beginning to end, the songs explode with enormous emotion, mining the self-centered crises of everyday life for more impact than they should be worth. Short-lived love affairs become life-shattering disasters. The future becomes a threat instead of a promise.

With so much angst surrounding their potent jams, it makes sense that the trio would want to have a little fun, and they do just that in the video for “Blood Hammer.” The Sexy But Not Happy standout rides an unrelenting riff and an infectiously nervy narrative about a guy who would rather be alone forever if he can’t have one specific girl. In the clip members of the band alternate singing in front of the camera as alternating psychedelic filters blur their image. They play with fake blood, smile and fight with each other, a playful reminder that crushes aren’t always a huge deal. It’s a charming, lo-fi short, just like the band and song that inspired it. Check it out below. —Jordan Lawrence