Monica Pizzo
Recently, underneath all the clash and clutter of modern day culture, there has been a quiet revival of ideas from the past, particularly the ‘80s. Synthesizers, skater culture, athleisure and the distinctive bop of ‘80s pop have been making a comeback. Bands are starting to pick up on it, but one that has come close to perfection is Video Age.
Video Age is a duo from New Orleans who brings distinctive sounds from the ‘80s, meshing them with ideas of today and building bridges across generations. The boppy duo is composed of Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli who were originally from projects such as Native America, Freddy Beach and Sun Hotel.
Although they come from previous musical projects, their sound is distinctive and unique. Their gritty music sounds straight out of a cassette you’d find in your basement, tucked away with your parent’s high school memorabilia.
This vintage feel ultimately comes from their original and authentic way of recording: by themselves on a tape machine. Farbe, the lead singer and guitarist, said of their album Living Alone: “We wrote a bunch of songs, made a bunch of demos, picked our favorites and recorded them ourselves on my tape machine,” according to Study Breaks.
The band released their debut album Living Alone in July 2016, which features the widely popular “Throwing Knives.” The album also features tracks “Dance Square” and “Regulars,” which both include the synth keyboard and hard drums of the ‘80s.
The rest of the album has the same chill, garage vibe. Their songs could be played as easily in Pretty In Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as the movies of today.
Although the members have experience, the band itself is very young and is just breaking out into the indie music scene. They are currently touring the East Coast and will be playing at the Dew Drop Inn in D.C. April 23.
If your dream is to live in the times of Stranger Things, then Video Age is the band to help you dream. They are reinventing and revitalizing indie sound and proving true musicians are still alive and well.
So, next time your dad complains about the music of today not being as good as his high school years, break out Video Age and have him take a listen.
Featured Photo Credit: Feature photo courtesy of Video Age on Facebook.
Monica Pizzo is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at mpizzo@terpmail.umd.edu.
