MGMT return with new single, “Bubblegum Dog"

The accompanying video, directed by Julia Vickerman and writer/director Tom Scharpling, finds MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser paying tribute to numerous scenes from classic ‘90s alternative videos.

“We all saw the video for "Bubblegum Dog" as an opportunity to combine the charming, DIY, surreal, cardboard craft aesthetic of shows like Yo Gabba Gabba and The Mighty Boosh with these ultra-serious grunge videos we grew up watching on MTV – all that heavy, brooding angst smashed up against absurd childlike fun,” Vickerman and Scharpling say.

“Ben and Andrew are legitimately funny guys, so we were excited they got to really go for it with their acting, paying homage to the eternally moody mid-90's rock stars they looked up to when they were kids,” they continue. “They were completely game for everything, playing around with different wigs/costumes/personas/facial hair and continually chiming in with new ideas along the way. That was a wonderful feeling, because it let us know they were having a good time. For the climax of the video, they let us shoot gallons of pink slime at their faces, which we appreciated. Ben got quite a bit in his mouth, which was unintentional … but he thought it was funny, so then we were allowed to think it was funny.”