Plateaus – “Do It For You” Video + Interview

PLATEAUS – who were responsible for one of our favorite 7″ singles last year – are back at it again. This time they are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming 7″ from Hozac Records. To hold us over in the meantime, they just set free this brand new music video for the song “Do It For You” which will appear on the new 7″. We had a minute to catch up with the band and ask them about their new single and the new video – see what they had to say below.



How does your new single on Hozac compare with your earlier single on Art Fag?
Kevin: Quite well, I think. Apples and oranges? I dunno.
Jon: The new one has the whole band on it instead of just me and Kevin, Chris even sings the A-side. I think sonically this single is more abrasive than the last one.

The new music video for “Do It For You” is pretty rad. What was the inspiration for such an exhilarating video?
Chris: I guess the inspiration for the video would be the song. We gave the song to our friends Dusty and Derrik and after listening to it that was the concept they came up with.

And how exactly was that video created?
Chris: The video was made by Dusty Dirtweed of Mushroom Necklace and Derrik Acosta of Mega 64. Dusty made pretty much everything you see in the video by hand. He made almost everything out of pizza boxes and glue, then painted them. After everything was made him and Derrik made a set in his garage and filmed the video. Derrik then took all the shots and edited the photos into an animation.

What can we expect from Plateaus in the future after this new 7″?
Kevin: We are going out to Chicago real soon for the Hozac Blackout Fest, we’re playing a bunch of shows on the way out and on the way back. It’s gonna be fun, Red Cross and Roky Erickson! Also stoked to crack a Mike’s Hard with San Diego hometown heroes “The Spider Fever.”
Chris: We have another 7″ coming up shortly after the Hozac one, and an LP coming out this fall (both on Art Fag).
Jon: Expect to see us on the road more for sure.

There you have it folks. Plateaus seem to have their work cut out for them between now and the start of the summer. In the meantime the video above for “Do It For You” should hold you over until they start dropping these new records. Sit tight!

Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Pop

Past Related Posts:
Beach Coma 7″ (Art Fag)
Find Plateaus in our Top 30 7″ Records of 2011

Song of the Day #20: Guantanamo Baywatch – “Boomerenga”

GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH are currently putting the finishing touches on their 2nd full length LP. The album, titled Chest Crawl, drops May 22nd from the Dirtnap Records label which is surely a fitting home for their grimy, psyched-out strand of surf rock. “Boomerenga” is an excellent example of this sound being put on display. The song is guided along by twangy guitars with an evil edge while swift percussion and chunky bass lines work to keep the rhythm. These elements all combine for a ridiculously sloppy (and somehow sexy – did you see that album art??) blend of garage and surf rock that sounds particularly careless while also sounding wet. The lead guitar slithers and slides across the track which really helps create those slippery, unsettling vibes. Throughout the rest of Chest Crawl the Portland trio offers up plenty of tricks, the most notable being those blood-pumping instrumental tracks which have a truly vintage sound. See what they’re all about in the track below!

Boomerenga –

Genre/ Tags: Surf Rock, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi

BUY the LP directly from Dirtnap on May 22nd (no pre-orders)
Guantanamo Baywatch – Official Website
Guantanamo Baywatch on Facebook

Related Posts:
Oh Rats! 7″ (Jonnycat!)

V/A – Live at the Empty Bottle

For nearly twenty years the The Empty Bottle has remained one of Chicago’s most enduring rock and Roll venues. Beginning in 2010 audio engineer Shimby McCreery has been recording select performances and streaming them online through Bandcamp. Chicago based Hozac Records has just released a compilation entitled Live at the Empty Bottle which collects 14 highlights from the live series onto one incredible vinyl disk.  Continue reading “V/A – Live at the Empty Bottle”

Song of the Day #19: Cousins – Speech

COUSINS are a four piece garage rock band that formed in Halifax in 2009 by Aaron Mangle. “The Palm at the End of the Mind” is the name of their sophomore LP on Saved By Vinyl, consisting of nine tracks of totally sharp and raucous garage-pop music that also manages to be quirky and highly energetic. Of the nine tracks, “Speech” just might be the most fitting example of this wildly frantic energy. This rowdy track starts out with a jangly bang and rarely ever settles back down afterward. The song is driven by crunchy guitars and a pounding, unpredictable drum pattern that will keep you guessing with each new pulsing measure, bringing the “manic energy and underlying calm” together in one strikingly memorable three-and-a-half minute track. You’d be a fool to miss it below – after the first 15 seconds you’ll see.

Speech –

Genre/ Tags: Pop, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi

Cousins on Bandcamp
Cousins on Myspace
Read about Cousins on Pigeon Row for a bit more info.
Not sure where to buy this one…sorry folks

Song of the Day #18: Strange Hands – Smell

STRANGE HANDS have just dropped their first proper full length album from Shit Music for Shit People. The album features 11 full tracks of their quivering garage rock sound, which proves that Strange Hands are a force to be reckoned with. The album, titled Dead Flowers, sees the band sprawling out in all directions, ranging from energetic pop-punk (“Trapper & Dodger”), swirling, instrumental acid trips (“Dead Flowers”) and hard-hitting, psyched-out bangers (“First Poem”, “Bunny Slipper”, “Smell”) that all manage to go above and beyond to hit their mark. Songs are heavy in the keyboard/synthesizer department, which ultimately helps intensify the lysergic and psychedelic properties of this album.

With an album like this one, Strange Hands have made it clear what they’re capable of and the results are nothing short of exhilarating. Take a song like “Smell,” which has the pedal to the metal from start to finish. They rage on through with shredded, stream-lined guitar shards, creating an all-out punk monstrosity comprised of scorching solos with an element of innocence that is easy to endorse. Now if you like what you hear go and grab your copy of the vinyl. It’s official release date is May 11th, so sit tight!

Smell –

Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop, Psychedelic

PREORDER the LP directly from Shit Music for Shit People – out May 11th !
Strange Hands on Facebook

20th Century Tokyo Princess – I’ve Never Been Happy & I’ve Never Had Fun CS

20TH CENTURY TOKYO PRINCESS is a noisy, three piece garage rock band fronted by 37 year old Ted Clark who works in a liquor store. Together this trio declares war on your ears with their lethal sound. Continue reading “20th Century Tokyo Princess – I’ve Never Been Happy & I’ve Never Had Fun CS”