(New York, NY) Universal Republic Records’ new Rap/Rock sensation Flobots have completed their much anticipated video to their across-the-board smash hit “Handlebars,” and will debut the innovative clip (the first single from their upcoming major label debut album Fight With Tools - available everywhere on May 20), on UniversalRepublic.com and UniversalMusic.com today. Directed by groundbreaking video production/animation collective Dirty UK, the video’s breakthrough animation style perfectly captures the provocative Denver band’s deft mixture of prescient hip hop, combustible funk/rock, and socially aware wordplay that has made them the standout newcomers of 2008.

The new single has been the radio and sales trailblazer of the rock and rap world in the first half of the year, soaring to #1 on the alternative radio chart, corralling an incredible audience of 9 million listeners, the first time a debut track has crashed the Top Ten of the coveted chart in 3 weeks of release since Semisonic did it a decade ago with their hit “Closing Time.” The song has also become a digital and myspace phenomenon, soaring to #10 on the iTunes hip hop chart, with the digital version of the band’s CD climbing to #2 on the iTunes hip hop countdown. Their eye-popping myspace site, which also provides a forum to the band’s self-launched activist nonprofit org,. Flobots.org, has garnered more than 1 million views, logging 1.5 million plays as the group prepares for one of the most buzzed about nationwide album launches of the year on May 20. Celebrated for their raucous and engaging performance style, which includes the eclectic interplay of viola and funk-fueled rhythm section, the group will appear on Last Call with Carson Daly on the day of the album’s release, May 20, and then take the Tonight Show with Jay Leno by storm on June 5.

The band’s choice of Dirty UK to direct the video was based on the creative collective’s unique style of blending 2-D effects with specialized high-end animation techniques. Their innovative style has made them one of the most in-demand production houses in the progressive commercial world. The director/postproduction collective recently worked with British singer/songwriter Ed Harcourt, as well as other artists.

Recognized as a key catalyst of the Denver music and creative scene, Flobots have crafted one of the most loyal and independent thinking audiences in rock and rap, fusing their rousing political edge with a refreshingly positive message and compelling brand of musicianship. Led by hyperkinetic Emcees Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit, the band is already drawing comparisons to other iconic, genre-mashing trailblazers such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots, and Outkast, among others. The Universal Republic debut includes the anthems “Rise,” “Mayday,” and “We Are Winning,” among others. The group’s ability to command a much wider audience in near-record time with the nationwide release of “Handlebars” has made them one of the truly ‘must-watch’ debut bands of recent years.

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Watch: “Handlebars”