Heartbreaking Bravery

It wasn’t too long ago that a post ran on here detailing this site’s love for Old Flame Records, Dead Stars, and their outstanding Slumber. Recently the band released another music video from that record for one of its clear-cut standouts, “Summer Bummer”. Perfectly timed, and even more perfectly executed, the video follows the adventure of a down-on-his-luck muppet as he spends a day on the beach. His big day out takes plenty of twists and turns as the video progresses, leading him from a crush to crushing embarrassment to exhilarating redemption. It’s a decidedly more cleaned up visual aesthetic than the one featured in “Someone Else” but the charming, low-key aspects all remain in tact. “Summer Bummer” itself, in all it’s sun-dappled glory, lends the whole thing a surprising amount of purpose and when the final payoff comes, it feels like it’s genuinely been earned. From the downtrodden facial expressions of the protagonist in the video to the searing, scuzzy riffs that inject the song with a jolt of surging adrenaline, this stands as one of the most perfect examples of summer music done right since Mikal Cronin’s stunning MCII.

Watch “Summer Bummer” below and make sure to pick up Slumber as soon as possible.