Oliver Tree has come through, just before the end of 2019, with perhaps the most what-the-hell-is-going-on video of the year. The artist’s new video for “Cash Machine” is a manual that shows you why it’s important to not smirk creepily out of the passenger side window while you’re driving, how stressful it is to tow a heavy stack of gold bars across a river, and what the consequences are for using a Molotov cocktail to try and knock someone off of a Jet Ski.
Get this: That’s all in the first half of the video.
If you haven’t figured it out yet from this opening, Tree is one wild fella. The 26-year-old singer/songwriter went viral in 2017 with “When I’m Down,” a peachy, piano-pounding song that just makes you feel all dandy inside. Since then, he’s released two EPs, Alien Boy and Do You Feel Me?, and established himself as one of music’s most eccentric and alluring new personalities.
Any doubts? Just watch the visual for “Cash Machine.” It’s immediately clear that Tree’s a big fan of the color pink. Throughout, he arrives in a pink limousine, drives a pink car across a river, and then flies in a jet pack with a pink helmet. When he’s not doing any of that stuff, he’s making you slightly uncomfortable with his hilariously creepy smile. For some reason, his goal is to transport some gold while being chased by someone dressed like the sun.
Eventually, this sun-bedecked antagonist pulls up next to Tree on his Jet Ski, and the singer gives him the middle finger before throwing a Molotov cocktail. Tree hijacks his vehicle after the guy jumps into the water and leaves the gold behind. A short time later, Tree gets to fly around in a jetpack before falling in the river and getting blown to chunks in an underwater minefield. The video ends with this sinister sun and two random security guards inexplicably driving away with Tree’s boat and the gold bars.
We told you. This is one wild video.
Along with the release of the visual, Tree has revealed that he’s planning to release his debut studio album, Ugly Is Beautiful. Be prepared to kick off next spring with it on March 27.
Mentally prepare yourself and then tune into “Cash Machine” up above.
