Panic in Hampton Bays | Heartbreaking Bravery

November 10, 2015

CITRIS – Little Scars (Music Video Premiere)

citris

It’s been a few weeks since anything that’s run on this site. During that time I’ve relocated from the center of seemingly everything (Brooklyn) back to the middle of nowhere (central Wisconsin). In that interim, I’ve kept an eye on the slew of releases that have made the rounds over the past few weeks and will be addressing the best of those shortly. Breaking the coverage drought– before getting to the several dozen clips, full streams, and songs– it’s my pleasure to once again be presenting a music video premiere for CITRIS.

The musical project of Angelina Torreano and Chris Krasnow, they released one of 2015’s more intriguing records in Panic In Hampton Bays, which came equipped with a handful of songs that had the potential to become very strong singles. One of the strongest, “Little Scars”, now has a beautiful visual accompaniment. Pairing with director Andy Martinez and cinematographer Stanley Steel (who together comprise the production team Andy Martinez and the Stanley Steel), they’ve concocted a hazy, color-damaged, practical effects-laden clip for the song.

Seltzer, emergency packets, home movie footage, pinkish hues, smoky wisps, and a decidedly ’90s aesthetic combine to create something genuinely engrossing. Torreano, as ever, maintains a commanding screen presence, imbuing “Little Scars” with a noir-ish sense of mystique and subdued (read: barely contained) energy. It’s a lively next step for a band that’s growing increasingly assured in its footing and stealthily proving to be a serious threat. Don’t miss out on one of the more compelling DIY clips in recent memory.

Watch “Little Scars” below and snag a copy of Panic In Hampton Bays here.

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September 2, 2015

Littler – Somewhere Else (Stream)

And the hits keep coming. This past Tuesday may not have been as overflowing with worthwhile material as some recent days have been but it did unearth quite a few feature-worthy items. In the full stream category there was CITRIS‘ elegantly crafted, 90’s-indebted Panic in Hampton Bays, Mumblr‘s dark, created-in-a-day EP Super! Premium! Deluxe!, elle le fantôme’s brooding paint it blacker, and Charm School– one of the year’s best demos- courtesy of Dame. For music videos, Car Seat Headrest got the Matador era of their career off to an extraordinary start with the excellent clip for “Something Soon“, Miss June issued a strong reminder that they’re responsible for one of the year’s finest EP’s via “Student Loan“, while Hayden, Insect Ark, and Media Jeweler rounded the format’s offerings out with flair. A select few individual songs wound up creating a deep impression, a group that included Stove‘s formidable “Jock Dreams“, Miserable’s tender “Palmistry Notes“, Petal’s career highlight “Sooner“, and Fleurie’s swirling “Still Your Girl“.

While all those are worth exploring, it was Littler’s “Somewhere Else” that secured the day’s headline slot by showcasing a good band’s steady ascension to greatness. Having already established a song discography, the band’s become increasingly poised and that newfound confidence has seeped into their songwriting. On “Somewhere Else” the band takes a few risks with their dynamics and they all pay off beautifully. From the slow-burning front section to the supercharged ending, there’s never a false note. Lyrically, it’s an exploration of romantic tendency that benefits greatly from a disarmingly honest approach. With the mantra of “It’s always better somewhere else” dominating the song’s second half, “Somewhere Else” offers an unflinching reminder of the effects of longing- and secures Littler a spot as one of today’s more promising emerging acts. Sharp throughout, this is a song that demands to be heard.

Listen to “Somewhere Else” below and keep an eye on this site for more details on any forthcoming releases.

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August 24, 2015

CITRIS – On the Sidelines (Music Video)

While scanning through artist submissions can be a soul-deadening endeavor, every once in a while something pokes through and negates any frustration by virtue of being a perfect fit for this site. The latest of these came in the form of CITRIS and their video for “On the Sidelines”. Born out of the increasingly fertile SUNY Purchase scene, CITRIS has been quietly perfecting a blend of genres that will ensure they’ve got an appeal that appeals to an enviable range of demographics. While last year’s admittedly great Half Smile wound up being demonstrative of the band’s talent, it only hinted at the levels of promise that usually precede something like “On the Sidelines”.

Where the band was previously wiry, they’ve now fallen comfortably into a groove where they operate in a mode where the stakes are higher and the sound, accordingly, is a lot bigger. To match the unexpected aesthetic shift, CITRIS is offering up a lighthearted video for “On the Sidelines”, the lead-off single for the band’s upcoming record, Panic in Hampton Bays. Focusing exclusively on the primary minds behind CITRIS, Angelina Torreano and Chris Krasnow, the clip augments the song’s widescreen sensibilities with an appealing array of close-ups and scenic shots in a handful of genial locations. In providing this contrast, “On the Sidelines” manages to wrangle its soaring atmospherics into something that feels genuine and grounded; essentially, it creates an agreeable middle ground that emphasizes some of the song’s underlying aspects and brings out its humanity.

Torreano, CITRIS’ vocalist/guitarist, is an especially magnetic onscreen presence and she walks away with most of the screentime, giving a commanding performance that covers the breadth of the song’s impressively varied emotional range. Everything is ultimately resolved with a wink and a smile, effectively rendering “On the Sidelines” a modest celebration of all of life’s ups and downs. It’s an engaging, endearing work that provides ample indication CITRIS is ready to move on to bigger stages. If the rest of Panic in Hampton Bays can live up to a preview this strong, expecting to be hearing their name a lot more often.

Watch “On the Sidelines” below and keep an eye on CITRIS’ bandcamp for the self-release of their forthcoming Panic in Hampton Bays, which is due out on September 1.