Context
'Drugs' is a song written and performed by Irish recording artist Jonathon Ng, who releases music under the alias EDEN who falls into the category of indie-orientated alternative style. The song features in EDEN's second EP I Think You Think Too Much of Me.
The song was released on August 18, 2016 by MCMXCV (his own record label that he launched).
Content
A long-take of a close-up of the males face helps the audience to identify feelings of vulnerability. It is obvious that he is also stressed due to his facial expressions and the way that he is relying on the cigarette (or possibly a form of drug, which would explain his paranoid gestures) in his hand to try and give him some relief.
When EDEN starts to sing, a montage of two-shots appear showing the male and a female who is presumably his girlfriend or wife; they are both wearing rings (whether they are engagement rings or wedding rings is uncertain), are both smiling and close together. It is evident that the sequence of shots featuring his partner are flashbacks due to the warm lighting, conveying to the audience how things used to be better but now they are not. However, there is a second in which, when the woman cant see him, he has a sorrowful expression. The happy clips of the couple are juxtaposed against the lyrics of:
'Cause I had the best of the worst sides
And I had these lungs
And I had too many flash fires
That I just let them burn'
Within this EDEN is narrating how the male took up his drug of choice, that he was broken on the inside and had a body capable of doing it. 'Flash fires' expresses how the man has had a variety of hardships crop up in his life and instead of dealing with them and fixing the problems he just let them fester. The fact that the scene changes to his workplace could display how his current job could be one of the 'flash fires'.
As EDEN starts singing the first pre-hook, the camera begins tracking backwards as the man walks down the street. He looks nervous, due to the sweat formed on his face and the dead stare forwards, and seems very distracted because he isn't concentrating on anything which is represented by the background being blurry and him being the only thing in focus. The long-take on the man also signifies his highly strung vibe. Moreover, throughout this clip the lyrics suggest the same aura in order to illustrate the song:
'Till my chest is on fire
And my head just won't die
I guess I'm lying cause I wanna
I guess I'm lying cause I don't'
The first two lines convey how the character in the video is extremely anxious and seems to be overthinking about everything. This can be shown by the next lines as they are confusing and contracting each other, audibly displaying the on going conflict inside his head. On the other hand the line 'I guess I'm lying cause I wanna' can also be heard as 'I guess I'm lying cause I want her' conveying that the man isn't being completely truthful to his partner in order to keep her.
The man has now arrived to where he wanted to go - a pub. The man is seated at the bar and is very fidgety, showing how he is very stressed and on edge, and is eager for his drink to come because it helps to calm him down. The pub is bathed in a blue, cold light to highlight his sadness. A close-up of the ring on suggests how it is something to do with his relationship that is making him feel like this. By cutting to a flashback of a close-up of his partners hand (almost like a graphic match) it forms a link between them as they show when the times were good and how now they're not. Additionally, it can be interpreted as the man getting lost in his own thoughts by getting triggered by certain things (such as his ring) and reminiscing on the past.
Another warm-lit, joyful sequence of the couple is played featuring many close-ups of them laughing and smiling to one another. This memory is quickly destroyed by a transition of the man literally getting pushed back to the real world by somebody accidentally nudging his shoulder. The fact that the male didn't realise someone was walking towards him signifies how lost he was within his thoughts almost like he was urging them to come true again. This also ques the chorus:
'Cause I'm a f**king mess sometimes
But still I could always be
Whatever you wanted
But not what you needed
Especially when you been needing me'
The first three lines alludes that the man it trying desperately to be the man that she wants, despite having to deal with several hardships to make this happen. This explains why he is working a job for a very low wage because perhaps the female needs money for something. As well as this, it also explains rush panicked atmosphere coming from the man which is highlighted throughout the chorus by the (mainly) quick, fast-paced shots. The next couple lines could highlight how he maybe isn't the best for her, that she could do better, especially due to the fact that he isn't 100% with it as of lately due to anxiety, stress and the means he undertakes to relieve himself of these problems, perhaps drugs, which explains his jumpy, paranoid attitude. Towards the end of the chorus there is a long-take on the man which again makes him seem vulnerable and emphasises his uncertainty whether or not to proceed to where he was going.
An establishing shot helps the audience to see the contradiction between the man and his surroundings; he is feebly looking around whereas the environment is quite bold and strong, as if he is not meant to be there. This is also supported by close-ups of his facial expression where he looks unwilling and anxious as well as desperate. He cautiously starts to open a graffiti covered, grim door revealing several rooms flooded in blue light, again, portraying the emotions of sadness and strain. As he steps inside, his whole body turns dull and blue making it hard to distinguish features of the background however his confused, worried expression is still visible. The fact that all the rooms are dark and dingy comes with connotations that it is a dangerous and dodgy place to go to, making the audience question what the man is doing. A crabbing shot reinforces this as it allows the audience to see more of the bad conditions inside the rooms. 
As the camera tracks the man further into darkness, it pans into a low-angled shot of a different man inside of the building. Due to the angle, his costume (dirty, shirt undone) and the low-lighting, he gives off a threatening vibe, further confirming the dangerous environment the man has walked into. A gun is also visible tucked into his trousers at the front, further confirming the unsafe environment he is in. The video then cuts to a long shot of a man in similar attire to the previous one suggesting the same dangerous atmosphere. He is also slumped down on a chair as if he is passed out. The shot could additionally be depicted as point-of-view; in the shot afterwards the main character has an eye line match with the other man in the room. Moreover, he has a shocked manner implying that he's never been there before and doesn't particularly want to be. It is also apparent that he is
When the man turns a corner, a woman comes into frame. Her costume consists of white (which usually symbolises purity and innocence) and she holds her hand out for the man in order to guide him when he is lost. At first glance this woman looks like she is there to help the man but the environment around her makes her seem slightly menacing. As the man holds her hand, there is a transition (graphic match) to a flashback of the man and his partner holding hands and running down the street. In one take the couple are shown laughing, smiling, holding hands and dancing - all things showing that they are extremely happy together which is again emphasised by the warm, bright tonal colours coming from the sunset.
The song becomes more sombre in tone as the video changes back to the man walking through the cold corridors with the unknown woman. By the camera tracking backwards, the woman's face is the main element within the composition exhibiting to the audience her blank stare forwards and her confident stride expressing how she is used to the conditions that she's currently in. This is a contrary to the man out of focus in the background; he is still glancing in every direction trying to take in his surroundings.
A long shot shows the woman opening a door and leading the man behind her into a larger room making it easier for the audience to get a better feel of the setting they're in. Rotting, peeling walls, a wire-covered window and a man smoking a form of drug in the foreground suggests that the house is acting as a drug den. A close-up of the man laying down relaxed and smoking reinforces this. In the next shot it becomes apparent that the man has came to buy drugs as he hands money over to the woman. His nervous attitude (constant fidgeting) could be due to paranoia of getting caught, which seems odd because everyone else in there is extremely chilled and calm. This could suggest how the man has never done anything like this before.
As soon as the woman exchanges the drugs over to him he hasty leaves the building cutting to a fast paced crabbing shot of his shoes, highlighting how quickly he is moving, as if eager to get to somewhere. A close-up of the mans face expresses the shock he is in from entering a drug den and buying drugs. This makes the audience wonder why he would want to even go there in the first place (because he clearly isn't comfortable with it) and whether there are some other motives for it.
Clips of him and his partner again come on to screen, reinforcing how she is always on his mind and how he wishes things were still the same as they were. The fact that they are directly linking the woman to the drugs, by having the cuts so close together, seems mysterious. Back in the present, the camera shows glimpses of the mans journey in which he is still extremely rushed: quickly walking down a street, running across a busy road and hopping up a couple steps at a time presumably to his house.
The man opens the door and by the camera being positioned on the inside of the house, it captures the emotions written on his face - a mixture of worry and relief. As the camera tracks backwards, it reveals more of the setting showing an ordinary, homely environment. All of this is in one take making it very orientated around the male. The camera tracks forwards and zooms onto the mans face as he faces towards another door in the house. This is clearly emphasised as being important due to the amount of time it is on camera for. As well as this, it is evident that whatever is behind the door is of great significance to him because of his raw emotions. We see him crying, shaking and holding the door as if to calm himself down. Moreover, it is very arduous for him to open the door, inferring that there is something melancholic behind it. He moves his hand to the door handle and twists it open.
It is important to note the contrast in the pitch, tone and volume of the music when the door is closed and when the door is open. Whilst the man is behind the door the song has a strong beat, it textured (has a lot of layers to it) as well as having a variety of high and low notes. It is also quite upbeat, loud and fast-paced. Opposing to the music when the door is open, the song is soft, slow and quiet. The only thing audible is the rhythm which is played my minor notes on a piano. Furthermore, the music is very bland and is considerably less textured compared to the song moments before.
The first thing we see when the door opens is a limp, lifeless hand hanging over a bed. The hand most likely belongs to a female because the finger-nails are painted in dark purple. In this singular shot, the audience get the sense of the woman being weak because of the shaky, female camera movement slowly making its way up her lower arm. By the camera showing her forearm, we see a medical instrument attached to her implying that she is ill. The camera cuts back to the man (reaction shot) whose expression is of care and consideration towards the woman in the bed. It could also be argues that a low-angled shot is used on the man to illustrate that he has the power out of the two of them; he has been looking after her. A close-up of the woman laying down infers that she has a serious illness due to her being draped in sheets similar to those at a hospital and her bald head which connotes she has a form of cancer. She slowly turns towards the door - her frailty is distinguishable by her steady movements and the camera going in and out of focus calmly.
When the audience are clearly able to see her face, she is easily identified as the woman from the flashbacks, the mans partner. The woman smiles at him just before the scene cuts to black.
