Ever feel like you were lost in a haze in what seemed like a giant snow globe, not sure which way was forward or right? (OR Ever feel like you were tossed around wildly by life and not sure which way was forward and right?) For us at SWT, that’s the sensation that comes to mind while watching the new music video for New York City-based musician Lawrence Kim’s song “Rodeo”. The song is featured on his debut album, The Hours & The Times, out May 15.
Through some clever reverse-of-the-tape editing, the video finds the protagonist walking backward through the snowy streets of the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The scenery and people almost feel mythical and mysterious, especially in this backward motion.
We’re excited to premiere the video, which was directed by fellow New Yorker Meredith Truax, for you below:
Noa Griffel, Director of Photography, also assisted with filming the video.
While writing “Rodeo”, Kim wanted to create an atmospheric song that told a story. He hadn’t played electric guitar in a while and wanted “to write a guitar-heavy song, for a change.”
“For inspiration, I was thinking of those dark bluegrass songs from like the 40s and atmospheric country-adjacent things like ‘Low Red Moon’ by Belly,” Kim tells SWT. “I also had repeating, clashing patterns in mind, like the music of Philip Glass or Steve Reich. And there’s kind of a surf rock vibe going on as well. So yeah, quite a lot of influences here!”
Kim says that he loves “how the song starts out like a Creedence stomper and then it gradually evolves into this multilayered hellish carnival ride or something.”
“The full-length version, on my upcoming LP, features more guitar heroics at the end, which gradually give way to a minimalist repeating pattern that gradually fades out,” he says. “It’s one of my favorite songs on the album.”
One reason is that he came up with lyrics that describe someone with a big ego who is now out of their depth and lost.
“Lyrically, the song is about someone who is the kind of person who thinks they’re a big deal, but actually they’re not, and furthermore they’re kind of shallow in their relentless pursuit of fame and glory,” says Kim. “It’s also about the frustration of the artistic process. ‘Kill a darling every now and then’ is one of those old sayings you always hear in writing classes.”
The 8-plus-minute song is made even more atmospheric and vibrant thanks to the vocal contributions of North Carolina-based singer Rachel Cox and New York-based singer Emma Tricca. The song’s vocal melody was written with his friends in mind, and he was thrilled when both quickly agreed to sing on the track.
Tricca recorded her vocals in New York during one of her visits, while Cox recorded hers at a studio in North Carolina.
“I’m a huge fan of both of them, and it was such a thrill to hear their voices interwoven with my music,” says Kim. “I thought Rachel’s country rock belter voice—which she used to such great effect in her time in one of the great NYC bands of the aughts, Oakley Hall—would sound great on this, and I pictured a contrast with Emma’s softer, more mysterious vibe,” says Kim.
“I was so impressed by Emma’s recent album Aspirin Sun that I asked John Agnello, who mixed it, to mix my LP, which he graciously agreed to do. So, I owe Emma for quite a few things related to this album!”
The release of his debut album signals a new chapter for the veteran musician. In the mid-90s, Kim had a brief stint playing guitars and keyboards in the acclaimed Scottish pop band BMX Bandits, including their Kim Fowley-produced 1996 album Theme Park for Creation Records. After returning to New York in the 2000s, he fronted power pop band The Amber Smith. He was also a key part of critically acclaimed synthpop act Scam Avenue in the late 2010s/early 2020s, as well as Charli XCX collaborator Ryn Weaver’s touring band.
Being in a band felt like the place where he best excelled. However, he began to aspire to write his own songs during the post-lockdown period.
“It’s an album about being alone—which isn’t the necessarily the same thing as being lonely,” Kim says in the album’s press release. “I didn’t set out to make an album around that, but that’s what I ended up with.”
“When you spend a lot of time by yourself, you become very aware of the passage of time. You’re able to be more present and notice little details that others might miss. And you’re more aware of your reactions to things. So, the title could refer to a life seen as the sum of all those observations and feelings. A life measured in hours and times.”
While he wrote, produced, arranged, played (i.e., guitars, bass, keyboards, glockenspiel, percussion), and sang on most of the album’s songs, he kept the spirit of collaboration alive and well for the songs on the album.
“I decided to rope in as many pals as I could, to lend some variety to the proceedings,” he says in the press release. “And thank God I did, because they give the songs a depth they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
David Silva played drums on most of the songs. Additional contributors include drummer Kid Millions (Oneida, People of the North), singer/songwriter/filmmaker Alexandra Helgerson, saxophonist Stephen Chen (Ghost Funk Orchestra, San Fermin), multi-instrumentalist Peter Hess (Philip Glass Ensemble), and Vincent D’Onofrio collaborator Dana Lyn.
The video for “Rodeo” continues the album cycle’s visual fascination with New York started with the album’s first single “Madeleine”, which, according to the press release, captures the “tranquility of winter in New York” on Super 8 video.
You can watch that video below:
Regarding “Madeleine”, Kim says in the press release, “’Madeleine’ is about a person who spends a lot of time by herself because she’s tired of being burned by other people. She lives in a fantasy world of books and music. The real world is too much for her.”
You can follow and listen to Lawrence Kim at the following links:
- His website: lkimmusic.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/lawrencekim2
- Facebook: facebook.com/lawrenceksounds
- Spotify: Lawrence Kim on Spotify
- YouTube: Youtube.com/@lawrencekimmusic
- Bandcamp: lawrencek.bandcamp.com
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
