SZA and LaKeith Stanfield have teamed up once again, this time to star as each other’s partners in crime in an action-packed short film for the singer’s “Shirt” single. The five-minute visual, directed by Dave Meyers, starts out with what appears to be a Bonnie and Clyde scenario that finds SZA killing someone in a diner before she and Stanfield go on a violent shooting spree as nuns, healthcare workers, or pizza delivery drivers. But the tables turn when SZA takes a bullet and Stanfield drives off without her.
The trippy video goes through several odd scenes, including one where SZA shoots at her own shadow and another where she leaves Stanfield tied up and surrounded by a group of butchers. The “Shirt” visual ends with credits rolling to a slowed-down portion of the song, leaving SZA to serenade the camera before the screen goes black. “Shirt” marks Stanfield’s second time starring in one of SZA’s music videos. He previously appeared in her “I Hate U” visual released Jan. 7.
Though SZA surprised fans with her “Shirt” single when she announced its release with a trailer on Oct. 26, this isn’t the first time she’s teased it. The song originally went viral on TikTok last year as an unreleased track as fans anxiously waited for new music from the songstress, but it looks like the SZA album drought may finally be over soon. Per Variety, the singer said, “It’s album time baby. Y’all gonna get it all. New era starts now.”
It’s been over five years since SZA dropped her certified platinum debut album, “Ctrl.” She released a deluxe version of the project on June 9 for its five-year anniversary and tweeted of it, “This is JUST a gift for camp ctrl. Nothing more nothing less . if u family you get it . 5 yrs is a long time . Thank you for changing my life I love you .”
While we wait to find out if more music from SZA is on the way, watch her “Shirt” video above.