Britney's New Video: "Till the World Ends"

Source: http://newsfeed.time.com

Britney Spears' new music video, "Till the World Ends," premiered online today. This time, the pop empress sets the stage in a bleak, dystopian future (December 21, 2012, to be exact; things changed that much?). In this setting, humanity's will to survive the End of Time manifests itself the only logical way it can: In dance.

The smash single, off her latest Billboard-topping album, Femme Fatale, is a thumping, Euro-trance inspired dance number heavy on the Auto-Tune, with a triumphant call-and-response chorus that's not so dissimilar from a number of today's top 40 tracks.

The difference here? Clearly, it's Britney herself. Her wardrobe shifts a few times — most notably at 2:40, where she first dons a Pariah-like red, studded bodysuit (a nod to "Runaway"-era Kanye?) — while everyone else contrasts her in pitch-black Rick Owens inspired throwaways (while still dancing like there's no tomorrow). The video's sweaty, at times blinding, yet undeniably enjoyable, adopting many of its key elements from Britney's coming-of-age "I'm a Slave 4 U." This time, though, there's buildings crumbling.

Watch till the end for a sort-of surprise ending that I won't give away. But let's just say that there'll be dancing for another day.