by Sarah Samson
BALACLAVA originally started as a solo of Dylan Joyce aka BALA, but has now become a five-piece live band based in Ridgewood, Queens. The looming question that they seek to answer is, “What does animated trash sound like?” The band attempted to answer this with their debut EP, Have a Taste, highlighting their lo-fi and analog approach to recording. They have captured a warm sound, described their music as “NYC Trash,” but undoubtedly the band is far more than trash. Their EP, THE 1/4 INCH ALMANAC, is coming out on Friday, March 1st with tapes being made by Orlando based label Godless America.
“Pills on Vacation,” off their upcoming EP, is a crunchy and catchy nearly two-minute track, complemented by its music video of moments captured on a camcorder, montaged together to show BALACLAVA’s high energy, dance-filled shows from New York City and New England. With members in the crowd, a fake skeleton crowd surfing, and a zoom in on a member’s belly button, this video captures the crowd dancing and smiling, the energy that Balaclava is about, and what the rest of us are missing out on.