Watching the video for “Out of Style” feels like a lazy summer morning –– the one where you lay in bed until 1:00 pm then go outside and get amused by just the literal sunshine. Lauren Early, who I learned was the touring lead guitarist for Surf Curse and Girlpool, wakes up in the living room of a suburban California home, performs in the front yard, and lets us hang out with her in the semi-surreal world she’s created. She is the indie artist of my dreams: she kills a pasted-together thrifted look, is an awkward dancer, and clearly had a fantastic time putting together this music video.
The lyrics are catchy; I found myself singing the chorus to myself at least an hour after I listened to the release on Spotify. She demonstrates a clear understanding of playful bedroom-pop songwriting while singing about how the New York music scene feels overrun by pretentious indie boys.
I couldn’t help but be charmed by Early’s silliness. She finds herself consistently on top of someone’s shoulders wearing an oversized trench coat (can someone say Vincent Adultman from Bojack Horseman?), stares deadpan into the camera while lifting 5-pound weights in her morning routine, and purposefully steps onto a piece of fake dog shit on the sidewalk. It was intriguing, to say the least, especially in the shots of Early awkwardly doing the macarena out of sync with a group of dancers wearing homemade, tight costumes with glued-on fuzz balls from a craft store.
Early craftily directed the video herself, with the help of many friends. The production screams DIY to me: she filmed at a friend’s parents’ house in the San Fernando Valley in California, used costumes that were made last-minute by a friend, and released the video with the help of a Los Angeles-based video series who’s helped produce videos for DIY-favs such as Current Joys and Girlpool.
“Out of Style” is Early’s first single/video from her upcoming solo EP Patience. The entirety of Patience is set to be released on Friday, May 24.
You can keep up with Lauren Early on Facebook and Instagram.
