Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John Richards, host of The Morning Show on KEXP, is "Stay in the Car" by Bachelor, from the 2021 album Doomin' Sun on Polyvinyl.
Bachelor — the new project from friends Jay Som (Melina Duterte) and Palehound (Ellen Kempner) — will release their debut album this Friday, titled Doomin’ Sun. The LP was recorded in Topanga, California, over two weeks in January 2020, before the lockdown. Today's Song of the Day dates back to 2019, with Kempner explaining in a press release:
“I wrote the lyrics to ‘Stay in the Car’ back in December of 2019 when I was in Florida for my partner’s top surgery. I had run out one afternoon, post-op, while he was healing to grab lunch for us and as I was gathering my stuff in the parking lot, a big car pulled up and this absolutely beautiful woman got out. She was dressed all in red, dripping with jewelry and had the most wild fiery mane I’d ever seen. She was yelling at the man behind the wheel asking him what he wanted from the store and I wished I was that man. I wanted to be a part of her life, her best friend, her driver, whatever she wanted me to be. I was completely mesmerized.”
The song is accompanied by a colorful video, directed and edited by Haoyan of America. Duterte adds:
“We wanted this song to be a visceral listening experience, inspired by the Pixies and the Breeders. For the music video, we worked on a two-day shoot with Haoyan of America in Poughkeepsie in extremely cold weather. We all collaborated on the idea that our friendship should be portrayed in a fun and stylish way. Haoyan captured that energy in his own unique and creative lens through his collection of ’80s/’90s/’00s props and toys, CGI, and anything car-themed.”
