by Hunter Keene (@HunterKeene)
Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Video Age is Ross Farbe (Guitars, Vocals) and Ray Micarelli’s (drums), most recent musical venture. The two have been making music together for years in the city and seem to have perfected their signature blend of pop hooks and infectious grooves on this most recent release Living Alone on Inflated Records.
The band rose from the ashes of the members’ other affiliated projects including Native America, Sun Hotel, and Freddy Beach. This record offers something completely different from what people have heard previously. The duo seems to have taken all of the parts that made their other bands great and added more synth, as well as some of their best pop hooks, resulting in the best songs of their career thus far. They really went for it on this most recent release. This extremely dance-able collection of tracks covers a lot of ground in its short 32 minute run time.
The album starts with the unbelievably catchy “Throwing Knives,” a perfect three-minute pop gem showcasing the type of groove that can only come from two people who have been playing together for years. The jangly guitars and understated drums play off each other to make for an irresistible groove. The album only gets better as you navigate through the tracks.
One of the treats of Farbe and Micarelli’s songwriting is their uncanny knack to make a downtrodden and sad song sound like something that could get anyone up on their feet and moving. Songs like “Love Sick” exemplify some of Farbe’s best lyrics to date, a broken heart never sounded so good and so groovy.
Another standout track comes halfway through the record just when you thought it couldn’t get any better. “Dance Square”, the lead single for the album, boasts a classic, almost metronomic drum beat under a synth based riff that WILL get stuck in your head upon first listen. The track also has a fantastic video to accompany what may be Video Age’s finest work yet.
With all that being said, Video Age really shines in a live setting, the band has gone through a couple of lineup changes but has recently settled on a all-star cast of New Orleans musicians to bring their synthy indie rock to life. Please, do yourself a favor and catch them when they come to your town. It is a live set that should not be missed by any means.