Dance in 2 Yugoslav-era modernist buildings with North Macedonia’s Blackstate pop anthem

Who: Filip Tasevski has played in punk rock bands in north Macedonia for 20 years. In 2020, he launched his experimental pop DIY project, Blackstate, which he writes, produces, and art directs.

What: The music video for The Arsonist, premiered last week, is Blackstate’s third release. Set in two socialist modernist gems built in the 70s, the clip features performers from the Skopje Dance Theatre, as they sway across the sleek, spacious corridors and staircases of Hotel Drim in Struga, and in the electric red light ballroom of the Youth Cultural Centre in Skopje, a hotspot for Macedonian hip creatives.

What they say: “This song exudes fragile optimism,” the artist says, “but it can also be understood ironically, and as a call to action.”

Why you should listen/watch: With upbeat synths and elements of rock, The Arsonist is an unmissable dance anthem set in two architecturally significant buildings in North Macedonia.