The fan favorite from Brooklyn’s glitter-grunge band—the second single from their forthcoming debut album—is ABOUT LIVING IN the in-between
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Back in college–or maybe at some point on, like, Buzzfeed—I remember reading about the origin of stereotypes. About how they were developed to help our itty bitty brains make since of a big, scary world. We needed a way to simplify, to streamline, and it’s more manageable to paint people with broad strokes, to throw someone in a box based on certain obvious attributes than approach every single individual as an original, complex being and a whole new adventure.
This is most obviously exemplified in pretty much every teen movie ever, a phenomenon summed up in beautifully satirical fashion in the cafeteria scene in Mean Girls. And when a character does defy expectations—THE JOCK WANTS TO DO THEATRE?! THE NERD IS MAGICALLY HOT WITHOUT GLASSES?!—that’s prettyyyyy much the whole plot of the movie.
While problematic in pretty much every way, from a time-saving and self-preservation perspective, the evolution of these tools makes sense. There are 7.75 billion people on this planet, and since we can only intimately get to know a fraction of them, it’s easier to just assume that the supermodels don’t want to join our Dungeons & Dragons league and the dude with the face tats doesn’t want an invite to our Great British Bake-Off party. However, the problem isn’t just interpersonal. It’s not just about our understanding of people, but the pre-existing roles that society has established for us to fill.
What do you want to do with your life? It’s kind of a trick question. Rather than encouraging us to free-answer for our future, society basically presents us with multiple-choice—a set of pre-approved options based on who we are and where we come from. Consistency is key, predictability is prioritized, challenging norms is frequently frowned upon. You’re expected to stay in your lane, and while the media might, post-success, applaud the billionaire mavericks or the unconventional who did it their way, the path less traveled is generally frowned upon, and reinvention is rarely welcomed.
That brings us to the killer new single from Climates, which acknowledges these molds, these “acceptable” paths and green-lit ways to live our lives, while simultaneously serving up an “eh, no thanks,” with an easy-breezy wave and cheeky middle finger to the man as they cruise by with the windows down, reminding us that the real fun lies down the road, available via detour, at a different destination entirely.
But don’t take it from me; listen to the song. From Climates, this is “Loveus.”
“They cherish the mock up // models of life // and what’s lost in the middle // they’re cutting up your valentines“
Ahead of the single’s release, a fan favorite that the band celebrated last night at Piano’s, Theadora Curtis of the band sent over some intel on the track, personifying the song as a character of contradictions, one that defies stereotypes and stock imagery, who breaks molds and bleeds outside the lines. Who exemplifies that the real beauty is in the reality, not in the blueprint.
“‘Loveus’ reads like a dystopian take on social masks posing as a teen movie montage, gloom and doom shot through with early California sunlight. We love this girl for her depth, rebellion and imagined love of sparky butterfly clips. This diddy is the unlikely prom queen sitting noncommittally in the middle of the high school cafeteria in bleached cutoffs – taking notes on the drama for her debut screenplay – and we hope she hits you right where she’s existing, the in-between.”
“Loveus” is the second single off the band’s debut album, Movie Magic (a title thematically aligned with the band’s debut single, “Super 8,” which premiered on BdBK). Mark your calendar to catch “Loveus” live at the record-release party on January 23rd at Knitting Factory with So & So, Minaxi and Jewelry + an Icky! (of Shower Curtain) DJ set.
Your mission for the rest of 2021: Go forth and break some molds. And come January, we’ll see you out there~
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Follow Climates at @climatesband and add the songs to your Spotify playlists
Feature image provided by the band.