Centered around an existential crisis taking place in nightlife’s most significant setting, the Brooklyn artist’s new single is an attempt to capture the chaos of a night out in Bushwick and the feelings of frustration and alienation one experiences living in New York
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Along with the importance of the bar itself, one could write an entire book on the relevance of the bar bathroom.
Beyond its utilitarian nature, the bathroom serves as the backdrop for much-needed moments of me-time, as a confession booth for pairs of close confidantes and as the cramped setting for the most ~scandalous~ type of group gatherings, its band-sticker-coated walls bearing witness to some of nightlife’s most sloppy, shameful, occasionally sweet and often significant moments.
Within the scene, these graffiti-drenched dens—anything-but-elite VIPee (sorry) rooms—are where, shall we say, shit gets real, and if these stalls could talk… well, it’s a good thing they can’t.
The significance of this particular sort of spot is no secret. There’s a reason “Meet Me In The Bathroom” evolved from Strokes’ song title to Lizzy Goodman’s book title to a label now frequently used to identify an entire era of NYC indie. And now I’m thrilled to present the latest artistic reference, an unofficial ode, to this very important place.
A day ahead of its release, this is “Bar Bathroom” from Couvo.
Don’t let it get to ya // let it get to ya, to ya
Part account, part anthem, the track is set during the kind of debauchery-packed evening in Bushwick we all know way too well, centered around a woman having the exact type of freak-out we’ve all found ourselves having alone in a stall at 2 a.m. Through this anecdote, Couvo serves up a slice of ah, shit-style relatability for his fellow degenerates (myself very much included), while keeping the track from falling into totally depressing territory by countering the character’s crisis with the reassuring (and very catchy) refrain, “Don’t let it get to ya.”
Ahead of the release, Josh Couvares (the man behind the moniker) sent over some intel on the story being told through the song—and the questions and feelings that inspired it.
“To put it bluntly, this song’s about a woman drunk in a bathroom at some bar, having an existential crisis about what she’s doing with her life. She’s questioning every decision she’s ever made, before making an equally questionable decision: hooking up with some guy who she doesn’t really care about—and he presumably doesn’t care about her.
It’s also my attempt at capturing the chaos of any given night in Bushwick, as well as the alienation I think a lot of people go through on those nights, especially when they first move to New York: you come here with big dreams and you end up with the scraps. It’s a lot like being in purgatory.
It’s also me trying to figure out what makes someone come here in the first place. But where else can you scream as loud as graffiti? You live here long enough, that question makes sense.”
You scream, I scream, we allll scream—
“Bar Bathroom” is the latest single off the artists’ forthcoming album The Drinks Are Always Free in Purgatory (also featuring the carpe-diem love song “Visiting Hours,” which premiered on BdBK) out September 7th.
Turn it on and turn it up. Bonus points if you blast it in the bathroom.
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Follow Couvo at @couvomusic and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the artist