More than a year since their track “Sick” left a strong and very peculiar taste in our mouths, Wench are back. The collaboration between Arca and Hood by Air’s Shayne Oliver have signalled their return with the release of two new music videos, “Sick” and “Elmo”, both directed by Grant Singer (Ariel Pink, Travis Scott, Taylor Swift) and streaming via TIDAL.

“Sick” is a day in the life of what’s perceived to be a queer street girl. “Sometimes we see people whose identities alarm us because they’re exotic, and what I wanted to do was represent a different way of being and give that value and weight on screen,” says Singer. “I wanted to create something that was very specific in its perspective. We never see who our character is speaking to or if there’s anyone present. It’s purely psychological in its impression of her world. I find the mania that the character exhibits to be comforting.”

“Elmo” feels a world away from “Sick”. According to Singer, it’s Oliver’s performance piece as the three-minute fetishist clip shows Oliver rolling around in mud before he’s tied to a metal cage waiting to be whipped, all the while dressed in impeccable bondage as audio giggles “tickle me”. “This was Shayne’s performance piece, which we shot in the basement of his office,” Singer says. “The goal was to create something kinetic while rarely moving the camera. I found Shayne’s performance to be fearless and inspiring, and I just wanted to capture it in the most visually compelling way that I could.”