Hive Mind
Just over two years on from the release of their stellar breakthrough album Yolk in the Fur, NY-based indie rock band Wild Pink have announced a new LP, A Billion Little Lights. The record is due out next February 21 via Royal Mountain Records, and its first single, "The Shining But Tropical, is premiering at the foot of the page. It's as anthemic as anything that the band has released since their punkish early EPs a half-decade ago, but everything in the mix feels effortless now, a steady and unstoppable rush of grand melodies and rippling synths.
"It was inspired by Carl Sagan’s Cosmos as well as 'If I Needed You' by Townes Van Zandt," lead vocalist John Ross said in a press statement. "This song is named for a grim retirement home in Florida. It’s about somebody who was born sheltered realizing how large the world is and how unimportant they are. Julia Steiner’s vocal contributions brought the song to fruition, and it was a lot of fun to make. We spent a lot of time focusing on the drums and percussion, using a phone recording of some cicadas in a quieter part towards the end of the song, and I really like all the stuff Dan [Keegan, drummer] came up with like the Agogo bells and Rototoms."
The brilliant video for the track was directed by Justin Singer and feature Schitt's Creek star (and recent Emmy winner) Annie Murphy, who explained a little about the concept behind the clip in a statement.
"My family has a cabin in the middle of nowhere in rural Ontario that they use as a hunting camp every October. The previous owner was a woman named Mrs. Clark who lived there with her husband and sons in the 1940's. Though she had them as company, they all worked outside of the house, and most of the time she was very much alone, with no electricity and no running water. After many years of isolation and many long, dark winters, she walked into the woods one afternoon and killed herself.
My uncles, who I think would consider themselves "tough guys", have all had at least one strange and spooky encounter in their time at the hunting camp. Would they fully admit to seeing or hearing Mrs. Clark's ghost? No. But I would on their behalf.
This is a video loosely based on Mrs. Clark's story. When the crew set up the camera's for the first shot in the cabin, the monitor screen just showed static. Mike [McLaughlin, director of photography] was truly baffled and insisted he'd never seen this happen before. That's when my Uncle Pat stepped in and called up the stairs "Hi Mrs. Clark. It's me, Patrick. We're here to make a little film about you. It's respectful and nice and is telling your story, so we hope you don't mind". Five seconds later, the monitor started working. Thanks Mrs. Clark, I hope you like what we made!"
Watch the video for "The Shining but Tropical" below.