Dupuis on ‘Ghostwriter’: “While ‘Ghostwriter’ ruminates on the horrible realities that stoke my anger—in this song’s case, the death of our climate and the criminalization of environmental protesters—it’s also about trying to live with less rage in the day-to-day. And not always succeeding, but not getting mad about that, either. And sometimes directing that angry adrenaline toward positive actions.

“My bandmates picked ‘Ghostwriter’ as a single, perhaps because it subtly nods to our unabashed love of nu metal. It was really fun to reunite with Alex Ross Perry after shooting together for his Pavement movie last fall, especially the part where we subjected him to so very many Deftones and Limp Bizkit videos for inspiration. The great Josh Gondelman improvised at least a dozen good “nu metal cover band” pun names for the intro, which made it hard to keep a straight face as our nu metal performance ‘Pleasantville’-ifies our crowd of friends into the most immaculate Hot Topic c. 2003 getups.”

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Philadelphia rock quartet Speedy Ortiz recently announced its long-awaited new album entitled Rabbit Rabbit. The band previewed its first record in 5+ years by sharing ‘Scabs’ and ‘You S02,’ and now Speedy Ortiz shares its next single. ‘Plus One’ features jagged-cliff-dwelling riffs and thundering drums, and is accompanied by a campy horror homage from Dylan Mars Greenberg. But while the video is lighthearted, the song finds Dupuis exploring a traumatic childhood experience in her songwriting for the first time. Dupuis on ‘Plus One’: I love touring, but the workaholism it encourages has been a convenient way to repress my feelings. In the pandemic, I found myself ruminating on my estrangement from an abusive family member. I’ve used my songwriting to process other experiences of violence, but had not broached these memories until Rabbit Rabbit. Being able to work on old trauma in therapy and in my writing has helped my boundaries elsewhere, and taught me to move on from exploitative relationships. That’s what ‘Plus One’ is about, and it came out pretty quickly as a sad acoustic waltz. I was sitting on the floor of an empty living room, mid-move, and the bare surroundings added a liminal starkness, though some of the imagery is inspired by scenes from West Philly that summer. When I went back to do pre-production, Texan post-hardcore was in my head, so I tried to channel At the Drive-In and Trail of Dead, bands that inspired me as a teen. We made the video with director Dylan Mars Greenberg, whose campiness and B-movie expertise was a perfect fit for the band’s also very campy videography. We’ve done a ton of horror homages but had never paid tribute to an old school monster movie. Dylan’s pet bunny Voodoo was a perfect Godzilla-sized star—a cuddly rabbit who’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”

On Friday, Sweeping Promises released their astonishing new album, Good Living Is Coming For You, on Feel It Records in North America and Sub Pop for the rest of the world. Following the previous single releases of ‘Eraser’ and ‘You Shatter’ comes the arresting new video for the album’s title track, ‘Good Living Is Coming for You.’ Sweeping Promises’ Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug on the new video: “For this video, we collaborated with one of our closest friends, experimental filmmaker Jessica Bardsley (Life Without Dreams, Goodbye Thelma). Drawing from the glamorous and bloodthirsty aesthetic of ‘70s and ‘80s horror films (Daughters of Darkness, The Hunger, The Lair of the White Worm, Dream Demon), the visual companion to ‘Good Living Is Coming for You’ channels the song’s unshakable feeling of discontent and encroaching domestic doom through the confines of a DIY horror flick as seen by some nameless sleepless soul on late-night cable, the line between movie and infomercial blurred to infernal effect.”

Indie-pop sensation Holly Humberstone is back with ‘Antichrist’ and ‘Room Service’, and has finally announced her long awaited debut record, Paint My Bedroom Black, which will be arriving on October 13. ‘Antichrist’ is a shimmering slice of electro-pop that is as smooth and polished as a diamond. “Am I the antichrist? How do I sleep at night?” She opens the song, straight to the point. The production on this track is really fantastic, with pounding drumbeats and swirls of synths. It’s a melodic, sprawling track, filled with sadness, yet doesn’t really make the listener feel too sad, more empathetic. Speaking on the writing of the song, Humberstone said: “’Antichrist’ is about a breakup I went through a couple of years ago. I genuinely cared about this person and wanted so badly to make it work, but I knew something wasn’t right and my heart wasn’t in it. I knew that I was inevitably going to have to hurt the person I wanted so much to love. At the time I wrote the song, I remember feeling like I was constantly letting those around me down. I basically felt like the worst person in the world.” [via When the Horn Blows]

FIZZ have shared a new video and details of a new tour. The band – dodie, Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown – have released a new clip for their debut single ‘High In Brighton’, which features on their imminent first album The Secret To Life, due for release on September 15 via Decca Records. [via Dork]

RENE has released the music video for her anarchic track ‘Rule The World’, taken from her recently released EP Slipped Through My Fingers. The Singapore-based musician worked together with director Lenne Chai and director of photography Danvisuals to create the campy, queer, action-packed video. “I wrote ‘Rule The World’ in a time when I felt stuck in a monotonous and unfulfilling routine. The song is based off the idea that there’s something better out there for everyone in this position, an inkling that could very well manifest if you take agency of your own life,” shares RENE. “When I wrote the song, I pictured a car driving out of a city, making a grand escape. Lenne and I toyed with a couple of insane ideas (one involving me performing the song at the back of a moving lorry smack in the middle of Singapore) and eventually landed on the craziest one of all – getting a bunch of beautiful people across Singapore and Los Angeles to work together on our campiest video idea yet. Of course it had to involve our queer love interests on the back of a motorcycle driving off into a fake sunset.” On the inspiration behind the music video, Los Angeles-based photographer and director Lenne Chai (W Magazine, Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter) adds, “We were inspired by D.E.B.S., a queer American action-comedy film about a spy-in-training who falls in love with the villain. To give it a local flavour, we referenced the visual language of Asian femme fatale films from the 80s/90s — complete with smoke, harsh lighting and crash zooms. We also studied episodes of Mediacorp’s 90s cop show Triple Nine to see how they framed Singapore as the backdrop for over-the-top action sequences.” Depicting a queer love story with a happy ending was an essential part of the music video for RENE and Lenne, both of whom grew up in a space where many LGBTQ+ characters in the media are often presented with negative connotations. “Most queer stories I saw growing up often ended in tragedy, so I thoroughly enjoyed crafting a queer music video that‘s unabashedly joyful, campy, and action packed,” explains Lenne. RENE continues, “D.E.B.S. was an instant favourite for us because it did that exact thing – it turned the tragic narrative on its head and gave us a cheesy, fun, and unapologetically queer rom-com action flick that was so rare at the time. We hope our music video does for other people what movies like D.E.B.S. did for us.” With local sponsors Sandbox Training Ground (choreographed the action sequences), smol (fed the hungry cast and crew), Camera Rental Centre (equipment sponsor), Closet Children (accessories sponsor) and incredible location partners Studio Min Max and Club Hell contributing to this project, the video was made possible through the efforts of a community invested in uplifting local independent creatives. The team consisted of creatives based all over the world, including animation director Danica Tan, graphic designer Sunny Chuang, editor Ian Alexander Ng and colorist Weiyi Ang. “It’s always great working with passionate and such talented people. I loved the concept when Lenne pitched it to me. I’m always super keen on making stuff with fellow Singaporean artists, and creating more gr8 content for our local music scene ,” shares cinematographer Danvisuals (Nathan Hartono, Forests, Benjamin Kheng and Bea Lorenzo, Soph T.).

Toronto-based indie-rock outfit Housewife shares the music video for their new single, ‘King of Wands’. Housewife’s self-directed ‘King of Wands’ video celebrates the inherent power of women’s intuition, spirituality, and solidarity – the things that keep women safe and thriving in the face of patriarchy. “Getting to direct ‘King of Wands’ was such a cool experience! I had only experienced my first proper video shoot the day before, so it was kind of crazy to go straight into directing one the next day, but it ended up being a lot of fun,” Brighid Fry (aka Housewife) says of their directorial debut. “Because this song has a political message, I knew I wanted to be very specific in the making of the video to ensure that it went along with the song in that regard. I was definitely nervous seeing as I’ve never done any directing, but the rest of the crew were super patient and supportive.”

Vancouver pop artist Haley Blais signed with Arts & Crafts this spring and released a new single — and now she’s announced her first album for the label. Her sophomore LP is called Wisecrack, and it’s due out September 15, with the single ‘Baby Teeth’ out now. ‘Baby Teeth’ comes with a CGI-heavy video directed by Shea Oracheski. The album reportedly delves into dark, introspective territory. Blais asked in a statement about Wisecrack, “Am I a good person or not? Are we all doing okay? Am I a good daughter? Sister? Partner? Friend?”

Olivia Rodrigo has released her epic new single ‘Vampire’, much to the delight of fans. The 20-year-old singer also recently announced the release date of her highly-anticipated second album GUTS. Taking to Twitter, Olivia said: “vampire song and video out now. I made it with my very talented wonderful friend @TheDanielNigro last winter and created the video with the incredible Petra Collins. writing this song helped me sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache. it’s one of my favourite songs on the album and it felt very cathartic to finish. im so happy it’s in your hands now and I hope it helps you deal with any bloodsuckers in your life. all my thanks 4ever.” (sic) The official music video for ‘Vampire’ has also been released, which was shot in downtown LA at night. [via Planet Radio]

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Rabbit Rabbit was co-produced by the band with Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin (who also mixed the record), mastered by Emily Lazar & Chris Allgood at The Lodge (New York, NY), and was recorded between Rancho de la Luna (Joshua Tree, CA) & Sonic Ranch (Tornillo, TX). Guitars remain the focus—the group played on about 50 of them, through over 100 effects pedals and 30 different amps—but the band incorporated a wide range of found sounds too, sampling everything from bedpans to debit cards to car washes to BB-guns. Dupuis added electronic tones as part of an ornate pre-production process, completed using a synesthetic constraint in which she immersed herself in a different color to arrange each song. As always, she designed the album artwork, which is a mixed-media painting of a fire-engulfed pickup truck, an image inspired by the trucks on fire she drew compulsively as a kid in therapy.

Following the recently released and revered single ‘Scabs,’ Speedy Ortiz shares ‘You S02.’ With a Touch and Go-indebted maelstrom of distorted solos, the Rabbit Rabbit lead single trains its gaze on apologists, union-busters, and other ex-punks who don’t live up to their public ethos. “Mostly when I’ve met my musical heroes, they’re kind and principled people. But occasionally someone whose work I love(d) reveals themselves to be anti-union, or anti-’woke,’ or some other gear-grinding ugliness. That’s who I wrote ‘You S02’ about, the song’s frenzied guitar and synth solos mirroring the crazymaking intensity wafting off people who act like that,” Dupuis explains. “In the TV show You’s second season, the main character moves from New York to LA in hopes of a fresh start, but (spoiler) remains a murdering psychopath. Changing cities won’t make you a hero if you still treat others badly.”

The Elle Schneider-directed video is a semi-homage to John Carpenter’s They Live, with Speedy’s heart-shaped glasses exposing a music industry phony whose private actions don’t align with her public image. It was mostly shot around Joshua Tree in the middle of the night, including at Rancho de la Luna, where ‘You S02’ was recorded. Dupuis adds: “It was freezing out—Southern California was experiencing unseasonal snow—but the low temps fit the bill for a video about how revenge is best served cold (in a non-heated swimming pool).”

Rabbit Rabbit:

1. Kim Cattrall
2. You S02
3. Scabs
4. Plus One
5. Cry Cry Cry
6. Ballad of Y&S
7. Kitty
8. Who’s Afraid of the Bath
9. Ranch vs. Ranch
10. Emergency & Me
11. The Sunday
12. Brace Thee
13. Ghostwriter

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Engineered and mixed by Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin, who co-produced with Speedy Ortiz, ‘Scabs’ was recorded in the nearly-alien desert landscapes of Joshua Tree’s Rancho de la Luna and El Paso’s Sonic Ranch. Wryly excoriating people whose activism ends at empty words instead of material work, the song’s riffs feel lived-in and playful, pushing between knotty time changes, oddball percussion, and cheeky vocal hooks. ‘Scabs’ reaffirms Speedy Ortiz’s desire to push themselves politically and musically, vital and surprising as ever.

“Living in progressive cities and working in the arts, you meet peers doing tremendous organizing work. And then there are neighbors who signal their ‘good’ politics through yard signs alone,” says Dupuis. “I wrote ‘Scabs’ standing in line at the post office, overhearing customers berate a USPS employee. This was during a time of postal unions-opposed budget cuts and other major issues for mail handlers, which were widely reported on. People advertising their support for essential workers acted conversely when faced with personal inconvenience. The song became more widely about self-designated ethicists who don’t quibble about crossing a picket line for individual benefit.”

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