Indie
electropop band YACHT released a new stand-alone single and video for “Second
Summer” today. It's almost exactly one
year ago that I covered their show in New York City for PopMatters, experiencing
this non-stop dance party hosted by Jona Bechtoit and Clare L. Evans. It
included detailed instructions for audience participation: 1) preparation, 2)
initation and 3) enlightenment. Of course, all of this would never work if the music wasn’t instantly infectious.
According
to the duo, “"Second Summer" is a state
of mind: overcoming obstacles in order to be close to what you love, a temporal
place where sun never goes out no matter what season it is in your hemisphere.
Like the original Summer of Love and its acid house revival, the Second Summer
of Love, our aim is true: to create environments of total freedom.” The song blasts off into YACHT’s full
throttle party mode, with a chugging beat and ironic lyrics sung in a tandem octave: “Can you stand by your man, as
the shit hits the fan?”
The
video features the animation of ADHD, with the Smiangle dancing solo with fork
and sharing with other shaped creatures (giving new meaning to group
consumption). As explained by the band, “This video represents the ultimate manifestation of our
spirit animal, the Smiangle, morphing from an impersonal signifier of mystical
subtext into something completely alive, surreal, and psychotropic."
This
Saturday, December 8, a celebration is being held in honor of YACHT’s 10th
anniversary at the Echoplex in Los Angeles.
The performance will include material from all eras with
special guests and even party favors for the audience. I’m obviously on the
wrong coast this weekend!