PREMIERE: EMBY ALEXANDER RELEASES THE "YOU CAN DO IT" MUSIC VIDEO
Drawing from the new wave and no wave traditions of bands like Joy Division, Talking Heads, and Suicide, Alexander and bandmates Kyle Grabski, Austin Harshman, and Jeremy Lentz then explode the results like fireworks in the night sky. “You Can Do It” is a prime example on the band’s latest, building a Van Dykes Parks orchestral pop vibe using everything from a steely electric guitar to a half-filled bathtub used for percussion.
"This is a simple, little sing-song. The whole song is built upon a beat I made in the bathtub. I was afraid I was going to slip in and electrocute myself but everything went smoothly. The electric guitar kind of accidentally sounds like a steel drum. I ran with that Van Dyke Parks/Brian Wilson vibe. We invented our own genre we call ‘Tallwave’ a while back. This is another song to add to the Talwwave canon for sure.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE SONG?
I hope this is your anthem or mantra for 2021 and beyond. I wrote it with someone specific in mind, but I hope it can apply to anyone, too. You can do it. I know you can.
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOOD YOU WERE TRYING TO CAPTURE? A STORY YOU WERE TRYING TO TELL?
I think the mood emerged organically on its own. The bathtub-beat and the harmonies feel intimate and friendly to me. I hope fans can be in the sun and outdoors and recall this one. Maybe listen inside and pretend you’re outside.
ANYTHING ELSE NOTEWORTHY?
Rusty Santos mixed this one. I knew his work from Animal Collective, Panda Bear, and Born Ruffians. I immediately thought he could do this song justice. I give him too many details about the direction. I knew he’d grasp the sound I was going for and he did right away. It was different than I would have done and that’s exactly why we needed him. I am so happy I reached out and so happy he mixed it. I hope he mixes a bunch more for us in the future.