Synopsis

A handmade horse wanders through a stark, dreamlike landscape in this stop-motion animated video. Its journey begins with the creature coming to life and moving through a series of barren settings before it encounters and eats a thistle. That act triggers a strange transformation, shifting the horse's simple adventure into something darker and more macabre. The video's tactile textures, measured pacing, and surreal imagery mirror the song's delicate electronic atmosphere, creating an elemental fable about appetite, change, and the cycles of life.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video uses stop-motion animation and centers on a handmade, pinata-like horse.

• The film's production involved a dedicated horse-maker, art team, photography crew, and digital-compositing team, giving the project a distinctly handcrafted feel rather than a conventional live-action music-video aesthetic.

• Martin Allais created the animated film with collaborators from Spain, including Eduard Ruano, Claudi Sorribas, Pablo Romero, and Miguel Garigliano.

• The video premiered through Pitchfork in September 2012, shortly after Hundred Waters released the "Thistle" EP on Skrillex's OWSLA label.

• "Thistle" originally appeared on Hundred Waters' self-titled debut album and was also the title track of the OWSLA EP, which included remixes by artists including Star Slinger, AraabMuzik, TOKiMONSTA, and Lockah.

• The visual was presented by Pitchfork as the "elemental life cycle" of a stop-motion horse, an apt description of its progression from creation through appetite and transformation.