Synopsis

Augustines move through a bleak, rain-darkened London in a fast-moving portrait of urban disconnection and resilience. The band performs amid grim streets, passing traffic, and anonymous city life, while a black cab and its driver add a distinctly local presence. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video builds its impact through quick cuts, stark locations, and the trio's restless energy. London becomes both backdrop and antagonist: a crowded, impersonal place that the band confronts with a defiant, communal performance.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released on October 7, 2013, as the first single from the band's self-titled second album, which arrived in early 2014.

• It was filmed in London, a notable choice for a band formed in Brooklyn and later based in Seattle. Contemporary coverage highlighted the video's deliberately unflattering view of the city.

• The black-cab sequence has a personal connection to the group: the driver is Rob Allen's father, who was an Ilford cabbie and played himself.

• "Cruel City" marked the band's return to the shorter name Augustines after a period performing as We Are Augustines. The name change was announced in August 2013, shortly before the video appeared.

• The song represented a broader musical turn for the band. Compared with the grief-centered material of their debut, the track's expansive arrangement and Afro-pop-influenced rhythm reflected the more outward-looking character of the second album.

• The band chose "Cruel City" to close its final show at Liverpool's O2 Academy on October 31, 2016, giving the song a lasting place in Augustines' live legacy.