Maxim Kelly returns to live action directing, but firmly sticks to the absurd, in his video for the indie rock band from Southend who are back with a new album and an intriguing new sound.

On Baby Kool (Evelyn), Nothing But Thieves have channelled shared influences of Nirvana, Sonic Youth and The Pixies into a 90s grunge and indie rock-inspired song (well, that's what the press release says). It is a cool (or even Kool) track, to be fair. And Kelly's video has something of a Nineties feel in its deadpan cool delivery of a nonsense yet intriguing narrative.

We are in the weird world of the 'pink man', carrying a cute Jack Russell dog through suburban streets. As we come to discover, the dog is not his own - and there are consequences. But throughout you're just waiting to find out what ludicrousness is coming next. Always a good thing. 

It's the first video by Maxim Kelly since his trilogy for Archive - all AI-generated, in a style that used the technology in a highly authored way to achieve an absurdist, darkly comic tone - and for Purple Disco Machine, also using AI, to bring old photos to life. It's good to have him back in the sphere of the real world, more or less. At least we think its the real world...