Embarking on an eerie yet exhilarating jaunt, Jersey City-based trio Creamrs unveil a spectacle of whimsy and weirdness in their latest visual offering for the track “Kokomo”. Through the veil of the macabre, they pull us into a circus freakshow, a realm both tantalizing and terrifying.
Creamrs are a melodic convergence comprised of Jeffrey Roger, who lends his voice and strums the guitar, Eric Luszcz on bass and keys, and Michael Santostefano on drums. Their collective past is a musical mosaic with tenure in bands like Pale Angels, D’arcy, and Faded. With roots burrowing into the gritty sounds of The Cramps and The Stooges, their sonic palette is a wild ride.
“Kokomo” is an auditory escapade birthed and nurtured in the heart of Brooklyn, NY, under the meticulous ear of Ben Greenberg at the erstwhile Strange Weather studio. Ben, a maven of melody known for his exploits with Uniform and The Men, didn’t just helm the boards but also jazzed up the track with a ‘harmonica’ solo, a melodica veiled in a cascade of harmonizers. The tune carries a playful spirit reminiscent of 80s college rock icons like They Might Be Giants, REM, and Violent Femmes, with a twang that nods to Creedence.
When the night before the song’s video shoot heralded the demise of their Super 8 film camera, it was a serendipitous encounter with a Samsung Flip 5 smartphone that saved the day. With its super-wide lens, it captured the eerie allure of the freakshow, mirroring the essence of the tune. The visual narrative, shot amid the rustic charm of West New Jersey, is a homage to the peculiar, drawing inspiration from the grotesque beauty of Tod Browning’s “Freaks,” the eerie allure of Tobe Hooper’s “The Funhouse,” and the whimsical narrative of Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hell.” The touch of Twin Peaks’ eerie essence is unmistakable, but there are nods to old freak shows lending ideas for quaint characters like Lobster Boy and Snake Man.
To bridge the digital abyss and reach for a more filmic finesse, a cohort of NYC visual maestros were rallied. Sam LaBella orchestrated the silent-film style “CENSORED” intertitle, while Giles Sherwood waved his color grading wand, transforming the celluloid from mere smartphone footage to a reel reminiscent of Kodak 16mm film.
Watch the video for “Kokomo” below:
Marking their studio debut with a bang on 11/3, “Love Songs” is a compilation of auditory narratives, including “Kokomo,” past singles, and more. The artwork adorning the album is a creation of NJ artist Ricardo Osmondo Francis, a canvas named “Hands That Bring the Water,” which has graced the halls of the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art in Peekskill, NY.
Listen to the album below, and order here:
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