Kelly Kirwan
Brace yourselves for Blasteroid. The New York-based trio is the latest post-rock, shoegaze-inspired outfit to grip you by the eardrums and unleash that affinity for head-banging and shoulder swaying that’s best paired with a fuzzy amp. Off their debut EP, Pretty Good, Blasteroid has released a video for "Artie and the Mountain," which, true to its title, takes place in a desert area reminiscent of Joshua Tree and the hallucinogenic activities it attracts. But fear not, there’s no overwhelming sense of “bro” among these three. Rather, their vibe is evocative of the grunge so often found in garage bands—subdued vocal deliveries paired with melodies that pack a mean and distorted punch. It may just have you flicking a lighter in the air, like the good old days.
"Artie and the Mountain," in both song and video, has the surreal quality of a bad trip. It’s a blend of animation and live-action; the bandmates are sporting cartoon versions of their heads superimposed over their regular human bodies, overlooking the desert landscape as an asteroid tumbles to Earth. After impact, things get weird. The bandmates slowly transform into asteroids themselves, a process that involves some cartoon-retching and a space rock waging a disapproving finger. Like I said, trippy.
It’s a music video that plays out like a comic strip—one drawn in an acid-fueled stupor. It’s comical, slightly disturbing and ultimately tongue-in-cheek, which seems to be exactly what these boys were after. Cue up your playlists and get lost yourself.