Copenhagen’s chameleonic provocateur, Chopper—the brainchild of Jonatan K. Magnussen from The Love Coffin—is set to unleash his sophomore full-length, Shock Pop – The Album, this November. With his latest single and video, “Wet Hot Summer,” Chopper crafts a sonic patchwork that pays homage while defiantly reinventing itself, weaving together post-punk’s urgency and dance-pop’s polished allure into a visceral, pulsating concoction. Lurking in the darkwave’s shadowy corners, glittering with glam rock excess, and shot through with the frenetic fervor of Madchester and industrial clatter, Chopper offers a kaleidoscope of sounds. It’s a feverish trip for fans of Cold Cave’s brooding ballads, the rowdy grooves of Happy Mondays, and Gary Numan’s digital dystopias—a dynamic dose for those daring enough to delve into it.
“Wet Hot Summer” sketches a brief, bittersweet daydream—a grasp for eternity against the fleeting heat of summer’s twilight. A darkly tinged alt-dance anthem, the track plunges deep into the murky waters of desire and identity, pulling down the buoyant beats of ‘90s Eurodance into a post-punk whirlpool of intensity. Chopper cloaks the dancefloor euphoria in a veil of ambiguity, navigating the precarious balance between vulnerable closeness and cold detachment. This is a sonic flirtation with the fires of passion, while cynically side-eyeing their authenticity.
The music video, drawing on the atmospheric tension of Lukas Moodysson’s Lija 4-Ever and David Lynch’s Inland Empire, stars Mille Justisen—known as “Vamilla”—a luminary in the Danish music scene and a frequent Chopper collaborator. Vamilla beckons us into an eerie, twilight labyrinth, a subterranean world where shadows dance and nocturnal fantasies unravel. It’s an invitation to wander through a seductive dreamscape until dawn’s unforgiving glare shatters the illusion.
Watch the video for “Wet Hot Summer” below:
Shock Pop – The Album will be available digitally and on vinyl on 1 November 2024 via Pink Cotton Candy Records. The album compiles Chopper’s two critically acclaimed Shock Pop EPs into a singular album, aligning with the artist’s initial vision. Bursting with creativity and playfulness, Shock Pop – The Album embraces vulnerability, kitsch, and flamboyance within its expansive and meticulously arranged avant-pop / post-punk compositions.
Listen to Wet Hot Summer below, and pre-order the album here.
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