michael kiwanuka & tom misch issue “money” warning

Money might buy you temporary company but it won’t buy you love. British soul/folk singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka and multi-instrumentalist/producer Tom Misch’s collaboration, “Money,” gets a visual treatment that both humorously and poignantly illustrates this idea.

In the video, Kiwanuka is an everyday working stiff— wearing overalls, mopping floors, and palling around with fellow employees at a supermarket. He soon reveals himself as butterfly collar, gold chain-rocking, and performatively generous “secret millionaire”— much to his fellow workers’ chagrin.

The video juxtaposes Kiwanuka and a bass guitar-wielding Misch awkwardly celebrating wealth with scenes of Kiwanuka looking as lost and lonely as he is rich. The Louis Bhose-directed video mirrors the song’s contradictory moods with Misch supplying a jubilant disco-pop groove that contrasts with Kiwanuka pleading lyrics about love for a price, and the ultimate realization that the real thing doesn’t come with a receipt or with a return policy.