Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: aggression

September 20, 2014

The Honeydips – No Shirt, No Shoes (Music Video)

honeydips

It’s almost disheartening to see this week wind to a close. Discounting the features, it’s offered up enough material to warrant hyperlinks to 29 streams, 12 music videos, and one radio session (so far- and that’s not counting the three streams that are set to be linked in this article). Consuming it all approached levels of what could be conceivably termed entertainment gluttony. If all of that wasn’t enough, the over-abundance of worthwhile material will be extending into tomorrow’s Watch This series- but that’s two steps too far. Pulling back a bit, it should be noted that one of this month’s most fascinating releases, Mannequin Pussy’s Gypsy Pervert, was somehow lost in the frantic day-to-day shuffling that occurs behind the scenes. That was a mistake and that record deserves to be listened to- a few times. Back to today: there was an EP that surfaced from Postcode which jangled as sweetly as any powerpop release this year and a strangely addicting full-length from O-Face called Taste. Even with all of that to consider, The Honeydips’ music video for “No Shirt, No Shoes” proved too tantalizing not to earn today’s future spot.

The Honeydips are an emerging Chicago band who released their self-titled EP via Known Pleasure earlier today. “No Shirt, No Shoes” was one of the songs from The Honeydips that best exemplified the EP’s strongest aspects- things that are further heightened by the low-key video. Gnarled guitars, forceful drumming, and a controlled energy help turn “No Shirt, No Shoes” into a warped piece of charging, reverb-heavy basement punk. All of that generally points to a DIY aesthetic, an ideal that’s enforced by the low-budget video. In the clip, there’s not much more than a skateboarding sequence, a dead party with some limp attempts at blowing bubbles out of pipes (which kicks off a short montage of various other items in the members’ mouths), and a genuinely great shot involving sparklers. All of it feels slightly damaged, which somehow ends up elevating the artistry- and coherency- of whatever weird magic’s on display here. It’s completely unexpected and definitely worth taking some time to admire. Watch it below and download The Honeydips here.

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March 5, 2014

La Sera – Losing to the Dark (Stream)

Well, it happened. Vivian Girls called it quits and each respective member now has the freedom to throw themselves into their other projects to a more complete extent than they could have while the band was still active. Of all those projects, Katy Goodman’s solo venture, La Sera, has been the most consistently captivating over the past few years. La Sera’s last record, 2011’s Sees the Light, hinted at a darker sound with contained noir-punk moments like “Drive On”- but nothing provided full preparation for something like “Losing to the Dark”.

Goodman’s lyrical stock and trade leading up to this point has largely relied on either joy or apathy, “Losing to the Dark” shifts that focus to unbridled anger. In accordance with that anger, in the Hour of the Dawn lead-off single she’s crafted a song that winds up being a perfect combination of all her previous works strongest elements. There’s recklessness, restlessness, and a humanizing touch of lightness to be found in both the melody and overall composition. A guitar cuts in and out of a frantic solo, as if the hands of whoever was controlling it were lit on fire. All of it comes together in the most immediate way imaginable, stopping the listener dead in their tracks. There couldn’t have been a more perfect time for the arrival of “Losing to the Dark”, as it does really feel as if Goodman’s clawing her way out of Vivian Girls’ graves and setting a path for vengeance. If all of Hour of the Dawn winds up being this good, there may be a surprise album of the year contender in the works.

Listen to “Losing to the Dark” below.

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