Crystal Fighters‘ ‘You & I’ begins with joy. A lovely summery scene with a singing tree and a dancing bird. There is something a little creepy about both characters, but the pink tint, upbeat chorus and unified shouts of ‘You & I’ let us know that these are lovely critters with a beautiful friendship. The humans run carefree through the fields, but ‘time is not a constant my friend.’ They (the evil, nasty humans) cut down the tree – smiling in the sunshine all the while. The poor birdy desperately flies after the truck laden with his woody chum, anger in his eyes until they reach what looks like a graveyard for trees. But there is worse to come, as the mossy beard of our tree friend disappears into a wood chipper. His knotted eyes become splintered bark, raining down on the dusty workyard. What can the bird do now? The only thing he can do, follow his friend into the blades, because there is ‘nothing else but you and I’ barky old friend.
For a cute, simple track, which on its own shouts nothing but ‘summer vibes,’ it is a rather complex and almost poetic storyline. It leaves you not really knowing what to think, as one eloquent youtube viewer states: “f** this vid is so weird and touching and beautiful and the last scene, omg <3” It's like Romeo and Juliet with a tree and a bird – it's beautiful and tragic. The love between you and I is so all consuming, that one cannot live without the other.
