It’s late October, and Oakland post-punk group Ötzi is celebrating all the Scorpios on the Zodiac with “Scorpio”, a track from their recent album, Storm, released this past May on Artoffact Records.
Singer/bassist Akiko Sampson states, “It’s been such a long year, and as we near the end of it we just wanted to do something fun, to offer something that might make people smile. So we’re reveling in the change of season and gassing up our favorite astrological sign, the mysterious Scorpio.”
Drummer/vocalist Gina Marie states, “I love playing this song live, there’s always a bunch of screaming Scorpios who get excited in the audience. And with social distance in full effect it was really fun to do something ‘together’ in a safe way and all the Scorpios out there at the same time.”
With the band unable to meet for months, they designed the video so that members could each film themselves. With the main footage shot on smartphones, the video is a departure from past work, the result of both necessity and inspiration.
“I spent the first few months of quarantine catching up on 80’s and 90’s alternative videos,” states Sampson, who also directed the video. “It was refreshing to see so many bright colors and graphic elements. It feels celebratory, which we wanted for the theme, and I also think of it now as representing that 80’s optimism and excitement for the future. I hoped to get that feeling of hope back again, and I thought a brighter color scheme would be a perfect fit for such an energetic song.”
Guitarist K. Dylan Edrich agrees, “Like the zodiac sign, the energy of Scorpio has an intensity to it that makes it burn. Cold distant star-fire, that’s what this song is.”
Watch the video below:
“Scorpio” is one of many songs featured on Storm, and album that invokes a tempest on dark and anarcho punk spirit, while capturing the creativity and athemic hooks of 80s new wave. yet existing on its on terms.
Since their formation in 2014, Ötzi has toured the world with the likes of The Chameleons, Deerhoof, Modern English, and She Past Away. During 2020, the band switched gears from touring to focus on Livestream and video appearances. “Scorpio” is their fourth video from their recent album.
Stream the song and Order the album, here
*Band photo by Kevin Brown
