Let me start by saying I was a little astonished to learn it’s been a year since Karaoke released their debut. Personally speaking, I found How to Make You Boil to be one of the defining local records of 2018, and its spectral shadow continues to undulate and shimmer across Atlanta music in a way that feels remarkably current. Still though, an anniversary is an anniversary and the band have earned every right to celebrate. So why not do it in perfect Karaoke style, with a mind-bending new video that only underscores the cryptic, dreamlike enchantment of the group’s music.
Indeed, as the record’s closing track, “Nice to Meet You Fine I’m Dead” manages to serve as the ideal distillation of Karaoke’s sound. There’s the manic propulsion of the stabbing guitars, the haunting psychedelic rhythms, the ethereal splendor of Grace Bellury’s voice—all of twisted into a cavernous pop song that echoes with brooding anxiety.
Directed by filmmaker and videographer Max Siciliano, the video takes the group’s dark and moody soundtrack and aligns it to a sequence of visuals that are by turns ominously surreal, absurdly funny, and, ultimately, mystifying. In other words, it makes for a consummate companion to the song’s murky charm, leaving the viewer both bewitched and bemused. As a fan, I’m not sure what else I could really ask for. So to Karaoke I say, congrats on your album’s anniversary. Here’s to another year of tangled webs and alluring magic.
Watch/listen above.
Karaoke will perform on Fri., Aug. 30 at Terminal West alongside New Madrid and Rose Hotel. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $15 in advance or $17 DOS. All ages.
More Info
Bandcamp: karaokeatl.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @karaokeisaband