As teased last week, The Rolling Stones have premiered an official music video for their new song “Mess It Up.” The clip stars Nicholas Hoult, known for his roles in the Hulu series The Great and the X-Men films, as a guy who goes for a free-spirited journey after a domestic squabble with his significant other.
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The video begins with Hoult having a heated argument with a woman who appears to be his girlfriend or wife in a messy house. As the couple scream at each other, Hoult’s character exits the house and throws his keys in a nearby dumpster.
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The Journey Begins
Apparently relieved to be getting away from his partner, he proceeds to dance and prance down a dirt road through a rural area as a young boy wearing a Stones T-shirt follows him. Hoult is then seen walking along a desert road and through a forest trail before coming to a diner. There, he grabs food from the plates of a couple of the patrons and a soda off of a waiter’s tray.
Next, we see a more haggard-looking Hoult with a scruffy growth of beard walking through a redwood forest, an industrial area, a suburban street, and snow-covered and leafy fields, before he ends up on a beach.
Going Home
Now sporting a full beard, Hoult does an expressive dance on the beach, eventually ending up on his knees with a perturbed, introspective look on his face, coinciding with a break in the music. When the track starts again, Hoult jumps up and retraces his steps back to his home. Interestingly, as he runs back down the dirt road, we see a much older boy wearing the same Stones T-shirt running behind him.
When he gets to the door of his house, a fair-haired young boy lets him in and he then startles his partner as she walks out of the kitchen. However, as he approaches her with an apologetic look on his face, he’s punched by a man who he didn’t notice in the room. As the video ends, we realize that Hoult apparently has been away long enough for his former love interest to have had a child with a new man.
About “Mess It Up” and Hackney Diamonds
“Mess It Up” appears on The Rolling Stones latest album, Hackney Diamonds, which was released in October. It’s one of two songs on the record that features late Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August 2021 at age 80.
An expanded version of the album, titled Hackney Diamonds (Live Edition), was released on digital formats on December 15. It features the original 12-track studio effort, plus recordings of all seven songs that The Rolling Stones performed October 19 at the band’s New York City club show celebrating the album’s release.
Hackney Diamonds (Live Edition) also will be released as a two-CD set on January 19, 2024. You can pre-order the physical version now at The Rolling Stones’ official online store.
Rolling Stones Tour Plans
As previously reported, The Rolling Stones will be launching a North American tour in support of Hackney Diamonds next year. The 19-date trek gets underway on April 28 in Houston and will wind down with a July 17 concert in Santa Clara, California.
Tickets for the dates are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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