The video for the band’s new ballad is a study in contrasts and a tribute to the trio’s beloved slice of NYC
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No one lives in NYC the exact same way; there’s no identical experience.
Ours is a city characterized not by standard-issue strip malls with slightly varying combinations of Starbucks and Barnes and Noble and Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse; there are no suburbs comprised of similar streets lined with identical houses, and there are no brand guidelines to define how things… you, your life… should be.
Instead, there’s your New York. And, a la the very premise of Bands do BK, it’s one that’s largely defined by the places that make it up.
The bars where you go to toast your triumphs and drown your sorrows. The coffeeshop that fuels your commute and the deli that (god willing) cures your hangover. The clubs where you dance until 4 a.m. and the diners where you talk until 7 a.m. The bridges and benches and parks where you break up and make up and make out.
In other words: our favorite spots are more than a set of coordinates, a landmark or four walls and a roof. They’re living, breathing entities that play real roles, as key characters, in our lives.
This is why we get attached to them. And this is why we mourn them when they’re gone.
That said, there’s obviously nothing I love more than a love letter to New York (past and present), particularly in musical form, and the latest one I’ve been gushing… and maybe crying over… is “Costume Boxes,” the excellent new single from NYC rock ‘n’ roll outfit, Lovechild.
“‘Costume Boxes’ is a song that I could have never written without 25 years of watching this city unfurl little by little each and every day,” Leo Liebeskind of the band, an NYC native, told me over email. “What street in Brooklyn (or elsewhere in the other four boroughs) is your Costume Boxes street? You know, the one that you roll your fortune down, and then you see the light come on in the window.”
The song, from Lovechild’s forthcoming debut record, dropped at the end of February, and now, after watching (and, again, maybe crying to?!) it all night, I’m beyond stoked to premiere the official music video right here on BdBK—
“Next stop is 5th Avenue Bryant Park. Transfer’s available to the B, D, F and M trains…“
Like every good story, this one starts with the subway, featuring views of NYC streets and skyscrapers… train tracks and trees… bridges, bodegas and bars… as seen from the windows of a sparse space that from the viewer’s eye could either be a spaceship or an extremely Instagrammable Airbnb (it’s a renovated airstream, for the record).
Life in NYC, more than anywhere else, is a study in contrasts, and the video reflects that. An old-school element meets a modern feel, while grayscale and sepia footage is juxtaposed with the stark white of the set—where the performance is mostly taking place—and the primary colors in which the three musicians are adorned and encased.
Throughout the video, images and the artists’ positions constantly flip and switch as the band moves through the city—perhaps illustrating different perspectives, the always-moving and ever-changing nature of New York, and the lack of separation between city and resident. You may be observing, but you’re also in it, and you’re always participating as well.
Ahead of the video’s release, the band sent over some info on the project and the talented friends who helped make it happen:
“Coming up with the idea and making the video for ‘Costume Boxes” was a joint effort by the band (mostly Wyatt [Mones]) along with Jack Tumen [director of photography] and Benjamin Lieber [director], two great friends of ours who happen to both be extremely talented photographers and videographers. Jack has been photographing and filming the band for as long as we’ve existed, and Ben’s done the art for our first few single releases, so it was an absolute treat to finally see the two of them collaborating. And I think the product speaks for itself!”
I definitely agree. So consider this premiere my love letter… to Lovechild’s love letter… to New York—
Now get up and get out there. The city—your city—is waiting for you.
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Follow Lovechild at @lovechildny, scoop up their music on Bandcamp and add it to your Spotify playlists!
Catch their livestream performance as part of the NYC LIVE virtual benefit fest for Our Wicked Lady on March 13th and 14th (that’s this weekend!) on twitch.tv/nyc_live.