Plaid friends. There is a new mystery that I need your help in solving.

The story:

I got a random friend invite on the 30LBS Skunk YouTube channel the other day from a user I’ve never viewed, called Lights Over Paris.

At first glance it just looked like some bullshit spam from some ridiculously rich OC band that hasn’t released anything. The Lights Over Paris band website is just a temporary one linking to their various social media accounts.  I dismissed it immediately as spam.

But something about it struck me as being slightly off.

Upon second glance it looked like a band that could be serious contender for the biggest bunch of douchebags in the history of the music industry. I didn’t understand why these idiots wanted to be my friend. How did they even find me?

The next day I still had a remaining friend invite. Oh yeah, those bozos again.

At third glace it looked like a devilishly brilliant and unprecedentedly smooth execution of a biting satire on the creative process (rather, the lack thereof) behind manufactured pop music. I looked at all the comments on their channel and noticed a lot of people didn’t get it. Their satire is very subtle, but if you watch more than 2-3 of the videos it will start to come through. Even the Lights Over Paris Twitter feed reeks of sarcasm.

Is it really satire? Are they really this clever?

The riddle:

I want to believe. Have a look at the videos after the jump, and tell me if I’m crazy to think that a parody exists in this stuff. Or, is this some kind of viral marketing? If so, what are they pushing? Is it the studio? Are these guys actors trying to gain exposure? What’s your theory?

The first video I saw was the bio on the band’s “DJ”. Douchebag material for sure.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There was one brief moment in the clip that made me raise an eyebrow. Tell me if you recognize it.

The following video is much less subtle, and is the one that made me start to think that this is actually a satire:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then, these next three videos will make you question how so much production value could be injected into something so asinine.

The mic stand:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The custom tour bus:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The studio tour:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ll leave you with that. I’ve you’ve made it this far, let’s crack the code. Leave your thoughts in the comments. Is this the evolution of viral marketing? Some actors with a knack for satire? Or is this a real band in the OC wonderland of riches?