by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Way back in the autumn of 2018, Brooklyn’s Dances released their sophomore album, Venus Figurine, a well… dancy bit of post-punk and psych pop that’s big on hooks and radio friendly sparkle. Every song has a clean pulse that permeates throughout, free of noise and clutter, but big on earworms and tightly constructed melodic structures. “Harmony Park,” one of the record’s highlights, captures the best of the band’s two sensibilities, combining their retro psych jangle with the locked-in post-punk rhythm. They start heavy with the latter and work their way well into the former, a paisley tinged slide into the crescendo. The video captures a surreal trip through Chinatown with lost clowns, old timey weightlifters, an escaped lobster (and the deranged chef in pursuit), and more. So what does it all mean? Beats me, but it’s pretty fun. Luckily, we have the band to make sense of it all.
Speaking about the song and video, they shared:
““Harmony Park” is about the push and pull of addiction vs. rehabilitation, and the title refers to an imaginary rehab center (I lifted the name from a small park in Bed-Stuy). The song is about extricating yourself from society either by nature of being an addict or towards the goal of recovery. The music video is a loose, lighthearted interpretation of this scenario. I play an ex-clown that’s escaped from the circus, but the big city is harsh and I keep running into triggering circus characters that try to fuck with me. In the end, it turns out the ringleader has been orchestrating a plan to wear me down, kidnap me and drag me back to life as a clown.”