NYC’s BODEGA return today with news of their signing to Chrysalis (Laura Marling, Liz Phair) and that their third album, “Our Brand Could Be Yr Life”, is coming April 12th.
The band also share their thrilling new single, “Tarkovski”, debuted by Steve Lamacq on his new BBC 6 Music show yesterday evening, and already fast becoming a live favourite after appearing in the set during their last UK tour. It acts as a first taster of their upcoming LP, an ever-ambitious, fiercely playful record that widens their sonic palette ever further, offering up a cohesive, moreish set of songs that are both stylistically diverse and irresistibly anthemic.
Ben Hozie, joint lead vocalist of BODEGA had the following to say about the themes behind their new single:
“‘Tarkovski’ is a pun on the famous Russian director and skiing; I was enamoured by his book “Sculpting in Time” but found that many of his professed rules and guidelines for filmmaking were broken by his own filmmaking practices. Theory never really gets at what you want and applying theory to the chaotic practice of art making (while still useful and essential) is like skiing down a wild slope.”
The new single is accompanied by a visually arresting music video, directed by Luca Balser and starring Nikki’s mother. It quotes the climactic candle-carrying sequence in Tarkovsky’s 1983 feature-length ‘Nostalghia’ but quickly veers from studied long takes into punchy pop vogueing: theory never gets at what you really want.
In addition, a B-side to the single, “Adaptation of the Truth About Marie”, is available now exclusively from BODEGA’s Bandcamp.
The band’s third and greatest LP yet, ”Our Brand Could Be Yr Life”, is a full ‘remake’ of Ben and Nikki’s old band BODEGA BAY’s sole LP which was a self-released 33 track album from 2015.
They approached this project like how a director might ‘remake’ one of their old films which meant writing a number of new songs and developing old ideas in new directions. It is a concept album about the current corporate mentality of underground/indie rock, where the band simultaneously desecrate and celebrate a certain indie rock cannon, hoping to redeem its’ ‘fall from grace’ like foolish missionaries who inherited a stained formal tradition that needs to change in order to become meaningful again.
The album will be available on digital, CD and a silver coloured vinyl paired with a 20 page lyric booklet. Rough Trade will also have an exclusive run of 100 lino prints, handmade, numbered and signed by the band’s own Nikki Belfiglio.