The thing about releasing your albums without no advance warning, as Jeff Rosenstock has done with his last two, is that you don’t get to do the pre-release fun stuff like shares singles and videos. That’s not stopping Rosenstock though, who has teamed up with Teenage Stepdad for the creation of a video for “Scram!”, one of the highlights from new album NO DREAM.
Firstly, about the song itself, Rosenstock says:
“I started writing ‘Scram!’ after being inspired by the kids from Parkland High standing up to the behemoth that is the gun lobby. The last four years (and let’s be honest, my entire life) have felt like we are up against an unconquerable force of evil that thrives on violence and inequality. It was a rare bright spot to see thousands of people say ‘hey, we’re gonna be able to vote in the next election, and we are going to vote you the fuck out.’ It was also inspired by the other side – the politicians and lobbyists who promote regressive policies that perpetuate the consolidation of power to the super rich at the expensive of everyone else’s lives – having the audacity to demand “civility” from students who have watched their classmates get murdered and are tired of going to school in fear.
“Fuck that. Capitalism is the root of greed is the root of violence. You have bought your control, but more and more people are starting to see through that. I wanted to write a song that felt like a ‘Fuck you, your days are numbered’ to the powers that be.”
And on the video for “Scram!”, Teenage Stepdad says:
“When I first listened to the tune, I strongly identified with the lyrics, the idea being that the very worst people are the ones telling you the loudest what to do and how to think. A lot of what I do as an artist is take all the commercial and advertising imagery and marketing techniques I’ve been forced to consume since I was a kid, and repackage them into something that subverts the bullshit worldview they represent. So part of this video is that, flipping through the channels and seeing old promo formats used to sell soda and cars and vacations turned into something else. The rest of the video is inspired by this moment, by the millions of people no longer asking for change but demanding it.”
So now you’ve had all the necessary preparation, check out the excellent “Scram!” video below.
Rosenstock’s NO DREAM is out now on Polyvinyl.
He’s also got plenty more coming up this week, including a performance on Pitchfork Live (5pm ET today), one at the Fader Fort (July 25), and a live conversation with The Needle Drop (July 29).
