Synopsis

Three young women in airbrushed T-shirts move through a desolate Detroit landscape that looks abandoned by civilization. Their journey takes them through ruined buildings and debris-strewn streets, where they encounter unsettling figures, weapons, wolves, and grotesque images. The narrative remains deliberately fragmented, shifting between apocalyptic horror and dreamlike hallucination rather than offering a clear explanation. Set to Royksopp's brooding instrumental, the video plays like a bleak, surreal short film about dislocation, danger, and survival.

Factoids & Trivia

• "The Drug" was released as the lead single from Royksopp's 2010 album "Senior," an entirely instrumental companion piece to "Junior."

• The video premiered on September 3, 2010, shortly before the album's September release.

• The production was filmed in Detroit, a location Royksopp specifically appreciated for its abandoned urban spaces and distinctive atmosphere.

• The crew spent a week exploring and filming in derelict locations that included a church, a school, a factory, and a former crack house.

• Royksopp described the three central characters as being "out of place and out of time," a phrase that captures the video's intentionally dislocated mood.

• The band wanted the project to sit between a conventional music video and a short film. Its extended 10-minute version, titled "Senior Living," incorporated six tracks from "Senior."

• The imagery's combination of ruined architecture, horror-movie violence, white wolves, and surreal makeup helped establish "The Drug" as one of the darker and more cinematic visual pieces associated with Royksopp.