by Dan Goldin (@paintingwithdan)
Last November saw the release of 2, the second album from Austin’s Queen Serene, a record that disorients between post-punk, dream pop, art rock, and shoegaze. Showing a great deal of growth from their debut, the band are digging into their unique swarm of noise, pulling at all the threads of their musical DNA to create something that feels genuinely exciting from track to track. Where genre fatigue would set in for many, Queen Serene’s amalgamation of the abrasive, the repetitive, and the meditative warps common sensibilities, setting themselves apart from any oversaturated malaise. With feedback blaring and melodies slow dripped into the squalor, songs like “Big Fish” and the mutant twang of “Glitter Disco” stand out from within the thick haze of damaged art rock. Following the album’s release and a split 7” with Heavy Meddo, the band are sharing the Taylor Browne (Borzoi) directed video for “In a Rut (I’m Stuck)”.
Quickly becoming one of our favorite video directors, having done amazing work with Variety and Nolan Potter among others, Browne brings a brilliant mix of stop-motion claymation and a acidic charm to the natural world. When a sentient can of beer opts for karaoke, we’re pulled between the living room and the television, where good and evil forces (entirely up to you to decide which is which) battle it out under heavy waves of psychedelic chaos. Things go from bad to worse, as Godzilla ushers in a reign of terror, and one reality bends into the next as monsters come to life in all shapes and forms. The song, a wandering mantra of swirling caterwauling elegance and a steady rhythmic pulse, provides the perfect soundtrack, teetering between a daydream and tremendously unhinged twin guitar carnage. Hand in hand, it’s an astounding pairing, a balance of campy dread and impeccable joy, where love prevails in the end.