We’re still mourning the cancellation of Pearl Jam’s tour. However, Pearl Jam‘s Retrograde helps.
The clip opens with a lone traveler driving through the rain and descending upon a strip mall. Visiting a psychic, the protagonist witnesses the world’s destruction in a crystal ball as the seas overtake the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London Bridge in London, and the group’s native Seattle.
As fluid animation moves like an oil painting in motion, the animated musicians—Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, and Matt Cameron—step out of their respect tarot cards and into a march. As the water continues to rise, climate change activist Greta Thunberg emerges behind the crystal ball as a clairvoyant.
As Variety states, throughout the video, Thunberg observes giant waves overwhelming such world landmarks as London Bridge, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and even the Space Needle of Pearl Jam’s Seattle hometown.
Just as “Retrograde,” the song strikes a balance between despair. The clip aims to “imagine the future and then try to alter it,” according to Wakely. Lastly, Watch Pearl Jam’s Retrograde down below.
Speaking about the new album with Zane Lowe on his Apple Music Beats 1 show, guitarist Stone Gossard said: “Vocalist Eddie Vedder did a great job. There was a pile of songs, and he mixed and selected the tracks that were going to be special. He did such a great job of bringing everybody’s personalities out.”
