The Knife’s first video from their forthcoming Shaking The Habitual took heteronormative attitudes and attire and turned them inside out. As of today, that sort of radical stance on gender-based thought is a recurring theme in the Knife’s Shaking videos: “A Tooth For An Eye,” directed by Roxy Farhat and Kakan Hermansson, focuses on a bunch of macho/lithe dudes in a dance class, being schooled by a lip-syncing, cornrowed girl. She’s their referee, their beacon, their Karin. By the Knife’s statement, “‘A Tooth For An Eye’ deconstructs images of maleness, power and leadership.” Today’s Deconstructing:

The Knife’s full statement:

‘A Tooth For An Eye’ deconstructs images of maleness, power and leadership. Who are the people we trust as our leaders and why? What do we have to learn from those we consider inferior? In a sport setting where one would traditionally consider a group of men as powerful and in charge, an unexpected leader emerges. A child enters and allows the men to let go of their hierarchies, machismo and fear of intimacy, as they follow her into a dance. Their lack of expertise and vulnerability shines through as they perform the choreography. Amateurs and skilled dancers alike express joy and a sense of freedom; There is no prestige in their performance. The child is powerful, tough and sweet all at once, roaring “I’m telling you stories, trust me”. There is no shame in her girliness, rather she possesses knowledge that the men lost a long time ago.

Shaking The Habitual is out 4/9 via Mute.