Sexbruise? concertgoers have probably seen the experimental electro-pop act do some pretty ridiculous things during shows. Charleston City Paper checked in with the band before its “Ford Taurus” music video release party to see what absurdities the members might spout about about the new music video. Turns out they did.
Don’t miss the Sexbruise? music video release party 8-9:30 p.m. April 8 at Ink Rooftop & Lounge on King Street. The video and track stream on all platforms April 12.
CP: What is this song about?
Drummer/vocalist John Pope: When I was in college I drove a Hyundai Sonata. It was a real piece of shit, which was mostly my own fault because I didn’t take care of it. I took it to music festivals and hauled my drum kit around in it and did donuts in church parking lots in it. At one point I removed the back seats completely so I could fit more musical equipment in it. The car in the song was inspired by this car and my roommate’s Ford Taurus, which was also pretty shitty. I found “Ford Taurus” to flow much more smoothly off the tongue than “Hyundai Sonata.”
CP: At the filming, you guys got in and out of the Taurus like 75 times — what else is the music video about?
Percussionist/hype man Stratton Moore: In one sense, the video is a literal interpretation about the difficulties one may encounter while dating a car. Will the parents of the Taurus accept John with open arms and be supportive if they decide to have car kids? I guess you’ll have to come to the premiere to find out.
Guitarist Will Evans: In another sense, the music video is a depiction of an average day in the life of Sexbruise? It shows us looking sexy while washing an extremely valuable and desired car and conveys how rich and famous we are. It’s almost impossible to capture something as big as us on a small screen, but we did it. It’s also got drag racing. “Ford Taurus” is a short film for the whole family!
(It’s not clear if Stratton and Will watched the same video.)
CP: Why create a music video? Do people watch those anymore?
Pope: The point of creating a music video is that you can post the video on YouTube. Then you can pay Youtube or some third-party marketing service to boost the video in the form of ads. If you don’t know anyone who specializes in these kinds of ads, just find the least trustworthy person you went to college with on LinkedIn, and they probably work in this field now. You can get hundreds of thousands of views this way, and there is no guarantee that the views don’t come from bots or click farms. The goal is to convince enough people that you are famous, then you actually become famous.
CP: How does the Sexbruise live show translate to the recording studio? How do you capture the hype without flying pancakes and cute sharks?
Frontwoman Julie Slonecki: Since what we do live is almost impossible to capture in a recording, we utilized some cutting edge techniques to better encapsulate our essence on tape. Pancake-scented candles filled the studio with a radiant glow as we tracked vocals [and] 8-10 sharks floated through the rooms showering us with their grace and lust for life.
Snacks were paraded around on tiny trays carried by waiters dressed as Nicholas Cage. Also, Will Evans (mix engineer) drank a dangerous amount of Skrewball Whiskey and only ate pancakes during the entire mixing process. If you listen closely, you can hear all of that in the recording.
Ultimately, our hope is that our music is catchy and funny enough on its own that it at least intrigues people to find out more. And boy will they find more if they look. Maybe more than they wanted.
CP: What is next for Sexbruise?
Slonecki: We have lots on the horizon. 420 Charleston, which will be held April 20 at the Music Farm (a Big Hair Dave Production) is gonna be a blast, so come check it out. We are also working on a full length record and ramping up for a summer full of festivals and sunburns due to the ever-disappearing ozone layer.
CP: What is your go-to hangover cure?
Moore: My hangover cure is a day full of cheeseburgers from Melvin’s BBQ and then a nice bottle of Skrewball Whiskey — and that’s not just because they pay us to say that.
CP: What is your go-to T-shirt?
Evans: My favorite T-shirt is my Face Funk 10 shirt. Face Funk is an annual concert that commemorates the birth of our beloved desktop and snack artist, Stratton Moore, which will be held May 13 at the Pour House.
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