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The Eversons bring gloriously tacky 80s trends back in their video Emily

My last Saturday morning was rather unremarkable in the grand scheme of weekend mornings. My football (read: soccer, for those uncultured) won the previous night so bright lights, loud noises and anything that resembled physical labour repulsed me. Fortunately coffee and breakfast were pre-made by my early rising housemates; bacon and pancakes, black coffee, all made in abundance and available for my pathetic hungover consumption.

Rage was already on the tele so I sat down as a clip is about to start. Staring down at my plate I hear a big guitar chord and a low alto sax blow. Ha! Alto sax. The only decade that humoured the alto sax in pop music was the 80’s and nothing cures a hang over quite like a really tacky 80’s video clip. Never before have I been so wrong and so right all at once.

The Eversons

Auckland five piece The Eversons have crafted a fun, entertaining video for Emily that gloriously laps up the 80s influences. Dancing dumplings anyone?

I’d like to introduce you to a Kiwi band called The Eversons and their new single Emily, a fun romp down memory lane back to when guitarists never “over-played”, singers always over-sung and chili flakes could be used as a weapon of self defence against an overly needy pursuer. There is something magical about the delivery of this song that really makes you think you’ve jumped back three decades. I’m not talking in a Drive soundtrack, 80’s is trendy kind of way. I’m talking about the mentality these guys must have gone into the studio with. Everything is so over the top that it’s refreshing. The vocals are whiney and pathetic (shit yeah!), the guitar lead parts are perfectly placed and abundant (fuck yeah!) and how could we forget the triumphant return of the alto sax (shit fuck yeah!).

Who the shit still uses an alto sax? Who the shit still even owns one? Whoever’s idea it was to use it in this track should be awarded an honorary gift certificate for an Iva Davies Electric Blue era mullet from Arts New Zealand. Now on a few listens I think it only makes an appearance on the first few opening chords but it was enough for me to look up from my life giving plate of pancakes to take notice of what I was about to see. And this clip does not disappoint. It literally has everything you never knew you needed from a video clip. We follow an ill-fated attempt to win over a lover by the aforementioned whiney and pathetic singer using a Chinese restaurant as the backdrop.

Not to give too much away this poor pathetic soul is deterred in some horrific ways by his potential mate, each time rising again like a phoenix from the ashes to try and claim his prize once more. Stronger. More determined. It’s hilarious and gut-wrenching at the same time. You feel for him. He has a dorky David Byrne quality to him which you want to see succeed. The clip crescendos to the final shots, the rest of the restaurant have broken into synchronised dancing and he’s got his last stroke, his all-or-nothing hand, and into frame walk two dancing dumplings.

I will repeat. Two dancing dumplings. Hungover or not it elicited a roar of laughter and congratulatory applause. Well done The Eversons. Well done New Zealand.

Watch this clip. Maybe for best effect watch it when you’re hun over or just in need of a pick me up in general because it will deliver what you need. The song, the clip and the band are clever, tight and best of all have a sense of humour. Never before had I thought that a guitar solo could be enhanced by performing it spinning around on a Lazy Susan. This I now know and I can only thank The Eversons for showing me the way.

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