by Max Freedman (@anticlimaxwell)
Who says you need money to have fun? Garage pop duo Bruiser Queen, the band currently leading St. Louis’ DIY scene, has managed to tour across the country on solely a cult following, the kind of expenditure that fans might expect the band to break even on at most. On its supercharged single “Sugar High,” which stampedes through overdriven power chords as equipped for grooving out to as they are for smashing everything in sight, the band winks at the finances of touring: “It’s okay, we don’t got money/Who needs the good life when you’re living your fantasy?” The average Bruiser Queen fan likely relates to this sentiment to at least some degree; today, Post-Trash is pleased to premiere the song’s video, a three-minute clip that simultaneously looks excellently-produced and cheaply homemade, a perfect combination for the song’s chronicles of being young and brilliant and restless and broke.
Bruiser Queen likely put the video for “Sugar High” together over the span of just a few hours, but it looks as glossy and crystalline as a high-concept, high-cost music video from a leading pop star. That’s where the true glamour ends; otherwise, the duo faintly mocks the lifestyles of the rich and the famous with zebra print aplenty, four panels of vocalist/guitarist Morgan Nusbaum and drummer Jason Potter having a good ol’ time with very little, and a cameo from a lovable zebra hand puppet. Nusbaum’s neon green hair and just-as-green eyes pierce the band’s plush sense of humor directly into viewers’ hearts, all as the duo infectiously shows off how much fun it’s having with so little. They act out the sugar high they chase in the song; a visual this on-the-nose could risk alienating viewers without a human element, but Bruiser Queen is smart enough to just look like the relatable yet foreign new friends one might make at a basement punk show. It’s no wonder these shows are where Bruiser Queen has grown its fanbase over the past few years.
“Sugar High” is from Bruiser Queen’s forthcoming third album Heavy High, out next month via Certified PR Records. You can donate to the album’s PledgeMusic campaign, which includes rewards such as having the band wash your dishes or babysit your kids, here. You can also find them on the road with FEA through next week (dates below).
10/27 - Sacramento, CA - Blue Lamp Sacramento
10/29 - Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar
10/31 - West Hollywood, CA - The Viper Room
11/01 - Phoenix, AZ - Chopper John's
11/02 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
11/03 - San Angelo, TX - The Deadhorse
11/04 - Dallas, TX - The Prophet Bar