Have you ever left the one you loved on the other side of the world?
Well I have, and all I can say is that it was totally shit and pretty much ended our relationship… that, and I became a huge psycho and probably scarred him for life.
Tigertown also know the feeling and are musing on it with their new single Lonely Cities. Having already killed it with the track, the Lonely Cities video, following in its wake is nothing short of perfect.
The EP Lonely Cities was produced by Børns sidekick Tommy English and while English’s tone shines through the choral elements of Lonely Cities, it lifts the track somewhere unique and creates a subtle blend of USA and Australiana.
Long distance relationships are never easy and Tigertown face it head on with Lonely Cities. We found out what was at the heart of the track from the band.
A true, Sydney based, family affair, Tigertown is Chris (Guitar) with siblings Charlie (Lead Vocals/Synth), Alexi (keys) and Elodie (bass). Close knit and musically on point, this shiny pop quartet are bursting sound waves wide open and no one is complaining.
Filled with eclectic pop colours and cutting mirrored shots, the Lonely Cities video is both a narrative, and a display of simplistic yet punchy visuals. Pinks, oranges and blues permeate the screen while the audience is drawn along this heartbreaking separation of lovers, the length of The States between them. It is as much a ballad of love lost, as it is a hopeful banger.
Tigertown, and their personable, performative style cut and jump between each slide. With obvious nods to classic rock and pop aesthetic and with Bowie and Hendrix glamour embedded in every turn, Tigertown presents a sharp sparkly addition to an already stellar track.
Lonely Cities’ accompanying clip is light and funky, taking the melancholy out from under the lyrics and taking the song to a new place. I love how when listening to the song alone I am in one place, contemplative and assured, and while watching the video, I’m hyped up and ready for action. Neither reduces the impact of the other, rather enhancing elements in each that I didn’t recognise first time around.
Directed by Kenny Laubaccher, Lonely Cities was filmed in LA and is sub sequentially dripping in upbeat Americana pop, pumped full of delicious, twangy guitar hooks and rolling reverb.
A soulful and romantic pop blizzard, this track and its accompanying video is not going anywhere in a hurry, and is sure to make everyone considering long distance grip their loved one tighter… but not too tight.
HAPPY: The track is so deeply rooted in sentiment and could have taken a different road when it came to the clip, what was behind the choice to take a lighter and more pop style with the video?
Tigertown: One of our favourite things about this song is how fun it sounds, while actually being quite a sad song. And it somehow works. When it came to the clip, we went for the fun option because it was an introduction to the band for most people. We like how well the clip represents the feel of the music.
HAPPY: You guys must spend a fair bit of time on the road, is the context of the track a reality for you and how do you suggest handling the situation of long distance?
Tigertown: Lonely Cities was actually written about a friend of ours, but we can all definitely relate to the theme as we do spend a lot of time in a different country to our loved ones. We’re constantly between the tensions of enjoying where we are while missing people at home.
HAPPY: How was filming for this one? The colours and set elude that it must have been fun to create.
Tigertown: We filmed it in LA, and the team was amazing to watch. It was a bigger production than we expected but our director pulled it off amazingly. Our part was done in the last hour of the two days in front of a green screen, so it was the least glamorous part of the shoot.
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HAPPY: Being from Australia, lyrically, the track is embedded in The USA where it was filmed, where did this choice come from and does a lot of what Tigertown do draw you to America?
Tigertown: The story is actually about our friend who moved to LA from New York to pursue his music career and his girlfriend didn’t want to leave New York. We were hanging out with him in LA when we were writing and recording our EP and his story really moved us.
It so happens that it’s quite a common story for a lot of people and has now become a bit of an anthem for long distance relationships. But yes, the American culture is quite inspiring for us. I think our positive dance vibes fit in well there.
HAPPY: What was it like working with Tommy English? Were you already fans of his work with Børns and how did the partnership come about?
Tigertown: The BØRNS record was already our favourite album of 2015 so we were very excited to get the chance to even meet Tommy. We ended up becoming really close friends and cooked a lot of dinners together as well as made our debut album. Tommy was the first guy to understand and solidify the Tigertown sound with us.
