Singer/songwriter/producer MOD SUN shares a gritty, intimate and raw short film for his powerful single “Battle Scars.” Inspired by some of his favorite filmmakers, including Gus Van Sant, the short film was shot in a one of a kind desert location. MOD co-directed the film with frequent collaborator Charlie Zwick (“Flames” feat. Avril Lavigne, “Bones”).

Sparked by MOD’s own story of overcoming toxic cycles of addiction & relationships, the music video shows the artist in a way he’s never seen before. He explains: “Battle Scars is such an important song to me. I really had to make sure the music video did it justice, which is why I knew it had to be a short film.”

In the video, Mod faces off against co-star Zach Villa (American Horror Story), which is the second time this year the two have collaborated on film projects. Earlier this year, Zach starred alongside MOD in the stoner comedy, Good Mourning, which MOD co-wrote and co-directed with frequent collaborator Machine Gun Kelly. Villa elaborates: “MOD is one of the most prolific and creative artistic forces I’ve ever met. He’s so passionate and enthusiastic on set when he’s making art. I see a bit of myself in him both musically and on camera. There are themes that run parallel for us and that artistic symmetry is rare in collaboration, which is why I was excited to work with him again. I thought it was a really bold choice that he chose a gritty grunge aesthetic for this video that’s very in line with the zeitgeist right now.”

MOD said of working with Villa: “Every time I see Zach on camera it reminds me how real of a craft acting is. He’s the kind of talent that makes everyone around him better. I was honored to work with him again and he brought the video to life like no one else could.” 

Following “Perfectly Imperfect” and “Rich Kids Ruin Everything”, “Battle Scars” is the third release from MOD SUN’s upcoming album. Earlier this year, MOD co-wrote and co-produced tracks on Avril Lavigne’s latest album Love Sux (#2 on Billboard Top Album Sales Chart). This includes the single “Love It When You Hate Me” (feat. blackbear), which is nominated for “Best Alternative” at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards – a category MOD won two years ago as a co-writer on Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bloody Valentine.”