Moses Sumney’s “Quarrel” exposes inequity at untruth’s expense and it’s one of the most magnificent songs on his stunning debut album “Aromanticism.” This video sets the bar very high with near flawless effort to make the perfect composition. While Sumney sings about the political nature of unequal relationships and power dynamics, this comes to life in the form of his human interaction with horses in the video. The way the horses are filmed is almost surreal because the shots are so stunning the horses almost communicate awkwardness and discomfort without actually doing anything or visibly expressing these emotions. Moses takes the horses for granted and gleefully does as he pleases in the video.
Eventually a horse walks in on him with the jarring piece of art ‘No Life Lost II’ by Berlinde De Bruyckere, which depicts three stacked horses lifelessly subdued in a vitrine. The art piece comes to life for the video’s sake as an act of violence and betrayal. The horse flees and Moses ends up on a gallows of sorts hung by the several horses seemingly getting what he deserves, crying. Horses are an animal that humans assume so much about regarding their loyalty, friendship, and satisfaction with being tamed. The depth of that in this video is especially stunning for a black artist like Sumney who has mentioned the political nature of this song and how it’s informed by oppressive systems.