The music video for Enter Shikari's song "Rat Race" depicts the band members trying to escape from confined spaces, representing their desire to break free from control by people in positions of authority. The video emphasizes the lyrics about escaping the demands of jobs and living according to others' expectations through shots of the band searching for a way out. It reinforces the band's message of independence after recently leaving their former record label to form their own in order to have more creative freedom.

1. Andrew Goodwin's theory
Rat Race by Enter Shikari
By Toby Trew

2. Visuals and lyrics
• The visuals and the lyrics go hand and hand in this music video because
the song is all about escaping from the control of the people in authority
and how they want us to be and what the want us to do.
• With lyrics like “Gotta go and get a job and work 'til I'm dead
They know what's best for us” this matches the visuals because
throughout the video the members of the band are trying to break out of
there rooms which symbolises there trying to escape from the authorities
control. (right)
• (left)

3. Genre characteristics
• Enter Shikari are a post hardcore band so the use more then just generic
rock instruments they also use a synthesizer in there songs. In the video
for rat race we don’t see any instruments being used this is because the
they wanted to have a more heavy influence on the lyrics of the song so
the performance parts of the song are mainly the two singers singing
because the lyrics have more of an impact then the rest of the song. They
do although have a lot of movement from the band when the yare cutting
from shot to shot which matches the quick pace nature of the band and
the song.

4. Looking and voyeurisms
• The video is mainly made up of shots of the band looking around to find a
way out and find a way to escape from there boxes which is used to show
them trying to escape the rat race. This adds emphasis to what the lyrics
are trying to tell the viewer
• There is also a shot of the singer looking up to the sky to signify the
hardship of trying to escape from the rat race.

5. Demands on the record label
• Recently enter Shikari have broken away from there former record label
hopeless records and have formed there own titled ambush reality. This
could havre links with the song showing that they have broken free from a
label which can control them and are now independent and are able to do
as they please.

6. Performance, narrative and concept
• In the rat race video it is mainly narrative with
the performance integrated into the narrative.
This is also because of the main focus being on
the lyrics this is because the concept of the
song and the video isn't just for entertainment
but to convey the bands views and to make
the viewer think about what the song is
about.