Indie Canadian band Rare Americans is taking the next chapter of their musical animation journey. After the success of their music video trilogy Brittle Bones Nicky, and an original web film, SKIDS, they are set to launch their indie cartoon, Crooked City.
As in all of their previous projects, Rare Americans has stated that they support talented artists and reject generative AI practices. The band members and production crew now convey their message in the upcoming cartoon, which speaks heavily about the current state of American consumerism and ethics. Here’s what to know before and after the animated TV series was announced.
Crooked City Has Been Cooking for Nearly A Decade
According to Rare Americans’ official Substack, Screw Loose Zoo, Crooked City has been in production since 2018. Due to the heavy investments in live-action music videos, the Canadian band went for the animation route. After 8 years, Rare Americans have produced nearly 100 music videos and used them to help develop their own music universe.
The band members have confirmed that their previous stories are a part of Crooked City’s lore. Thankfully, no one has to guess which animated videos are related. In the teaser, “When worlds collide”, Scotty Marshall from SKIDS appears on-screen as an adult. He appears to be a successful musician and continues to communicate through blogs. The scene previews him investigating the ongoing disappearances.
“Humans have been disappearing all over Earth, and strangely, the connection seems to be some sort of celebrity or social status.” On his computer screen, the headline informed viewers that five more celebrities had gone missing. The video later introduced cameos from previous Rare Americans’ stories, including Mr. Please, Ryan & Dave, Rhythm Kitchen, and Brittle Bones Nicky.
The main characters, Jamesy Boy and his dog, Alfie, are shown to enter another dimension through a red portal. They are actively being chased by what are assumed to be AI robots. They are the mysterious kidnappers in this Rare Americans’ tale. And they weren’t chosen at random, for both characters were among the early characters developed in the band’s music universe in the Jamesy Boy mini-series and Baby Boy.
Why Was Crooked City Made?
As the real world continues to misuse artificial intelligence in the creative space, including the music industry, Rare Americans embodies the message that human-made art is stronger than AI slop. The indie band has been vocal about how the introduction of generative AI has greatly disrupted Hollywood and coming-of-age artists.
The following synopsis describes the upcoming music series: “Crooked City tells the story of a failed musician being replaced by AI, who somehow finds himself in a world full of human-like animals. […] Everything feels like an analog paradise, but since a megalomaniacal crow introduced Earth’s addicted social media technology, things have started to change.”
Crooked City’s opening song sequence introduced the concept of Sneaky the Crow, the Elephant Mayor, and Mr. CEO. They gather talented celebrities, including musicians, and create generative hologram entertainment by kidnapping and collecting their data. It’s a reflection of the evolution of hologram tech in the real world, from bringing in virtual bands and artists, like Hatsune Miku and the Gorillaz, to interactive personalized AI experiences.
Is Rare American Airing The Cartoon on a TV Network?
Rare Americans has advertised on YouTube and their social media that Crooked City is a TV series. So far, the only confirmed airing is on YouTube for Aug. 21. There is no mention of a television network that has established providing any additional streaming services for the cartoon or a set TV time block. Until further updates from the band, the animation is confirmed to most likely be a web series.
