Baltimore five-piece art rockers Surf Harp released their sophomore LP, Mr. Big Picture, on February 23rd via Friends Records. Today, we are happy to share the premiere for the video of the title track from the band’s new album!
Directed by David Sebastiao and the band’s Jeff Koplovitz, with set design done by Phil Bolton and the rest of the band, “Mr. Big Picture” stars Baltimore local Patrick McAteer. The video follows the character of “Mr. Big Picture” himself as he heads to work on another mundane day. As the character pulls into his office parking lot, he stares at the everyday office building like so many 9to5er’s are used to. But instead of heading into the office, he makes a turn into a forest and off the beaten path. While the character may be trying to get away from the office and actually enjoy life, his path eventually leads him to an open field where his cubicle is patiently waiting with shitty coffee and numbers to be crunched. But what’s wrong with that if it pays the bills, right?
While the character sits down in his cubicle to go to work, the song takes a turn at about the 3:00 minute mark, a musical freak out as the video pans out into the sky, showing the character alone in the field with more and more work piling atop him. It’s a lonely life, the endless daily grind of the 9to5er, but who cares, it’s how to pay the bills, even though we would all rather be doing something better with our time. Right? Right…..
With a wave of Industrial post punk hitting the indie rock world over the last few years, Surf Harp are on top of that game mixing influences of new wave, post punk, and krautrock into a progressive pop that utilizes infectious melodies with ever changing hooks. Not only do Surf Harp’s songs jam out over their complex and provoking songwriting, but on “Mr. Big Picture”, the band is exploring the daily grind that so many of us go through, as we all try to find the balance of being happy through our needed work to pay the bills, versus our inner creative forces that motivate us to look for more. As we continue on that grind, Surf Harp are there pushing the boundaries and providing the enigmatic jams to push you through. Even if everyday life isn’t so interesting, at least there are still bands like Surf Harp to keep us on our toes through music with tight grooves and existential guitars that will have you bouncing right through that daily grind.
Catch Surf Harp tonight live in Baltimore at The Crown with Pet, Bilge Rat, and Scroll Downers.
