Synopsis
In a dreamlike underwater world, masked figures drift through the blue-green depths as if suspended between life and death. Cold Specks appears among the ghostly characters, while Moby also emerges beneath the surface. The masks suggest fear and concealment, but their purpose is less to intimidate than to hide faces marked by shame. The slow, experimental imagery leaves the narrative deliberately open, inviting viewers to interpret the strange afterlife and the figures' emotional isolation for themselves.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed underwater at Moby's home in Los Angeles, giving the homemade setting an unusually surreal, otherworldly atmosphere.
- Moby described the masked characters as people in an afterlife who conceal themselves because of shame. He deliberately left the video's meaning open to individual interpretation.
- The masked figures also appear on the cover artwork for *Innocents*, and the video helped establish the album's broader visual identity.
- The clip was made as an experimental film rather than a conventional commercial music video. Moby cited the experimental filmmaker Jack Smith as an important inspiration, along with the influence Smith had on figures such as Federico Fellini and Andy Warhol.
- Moby handled the underwater photography himself. Marcus Herring was responsible for the editing and visual effects, with additional assistance from Adi Putra and Christine Yuan.
- "A Case For Shame" was the first track released from *Innocents*, which followed on October 1, 2013.
- Cold Specks and Moby recorded two songs together for the project: "A Case For Shame" and "Tell Me." The collaboration grew from their shared connection to Mute Records.