Agender – Things Things Things
LA-based post-punk band Agender just want to look good for the apocalypse with their latest cheeky, punk-disco track “Things Things Things.”
t’s a lighthearted commentary on consumerism and the band invites listeners to join them on a shopping trip with its accompanying self-directed official music video. Plus, the band promises to share their punchy, synth-punk third album, Berserk, which captures the band’s distinctive manic, unhinged energy that matches living in today’s world, early next year.
Over cutting guitars, melodic synths and disco drums, “Things Things Things” is a playful take on the endless quest to buy more to fill a bottomless void that never quite feels fulfilled. With lines like “Things, things, things, a material girl, not a moralist/I know everything is bad, I just wanna look good for the apocalypse,” lead singer/guitarist Romy Hoffman says, “‘Things’ is the dancey disco punk anthem against consumerism we all need right now, in this age of late stage capitalism.” The bassline came first, followed by the disco drum beat and guitars followed. The songs, like most Agender songs, flowed naturally out of Hoffman, who adds, “I didn’t set out to write a song about late stage capitalism, it just wrote itself. I kept hearing ‘Things Things Things’ pop out of the rhythm section pocket.” The track was written by Hoffman, produced by her and David Scott Stone (LCD Soundsystem), mixed by Spencer Hartling (Self Improvement) and mastered by Bob Weston (Shellac).
The video was self-directed and mirrors the playful energy of the track, aptly set in a Los Angeles mall. On the video, Hoffman says, “You can have inexpensive fun at the mall, and malls are such a big part of the L.A landscape. I thought it’d be fun to cruise around together, go shopping, try on clothes, have a day out as a band. I knew I wanted us to end up at a karaoke lounge.”
The high energy forthcoming third studio album, Berserk, captures attention like never before, with tracks that are short to satisfy the collective shrinking attention span. Hoffman explains, “Berserk suits the times we live in, as well as the energy of the record. it’s a bit manic, unhinged, wild!” Inspired by other artists making spirited, action-packed music, Hoffman continues, “Some of the songs are short, like, a minute and a half, because I wanted to explore writing quick, punchy, short attention span songs, because I noticed that a lot of songs on albums that I like by young, mainly hip hop artists, are super short and do a lot in such little time.” Thematically, the music touches on queer love and heartbreak, aging, how some voids can only be filled spiritually.
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