Brooklyn band BODEGA shares the new single, “Thrown,” from their anticipated second album, Broken Equipment, out March 11th on What’s Your Rupture?. Following lead single “Doers,” “Thrown” serves as a thesis statement for the record’s multi-faceted exploration of how ideology and identity are shaped, but never fixed. In the album’s opening moments, vocalist Nikki Belfiglio urges listeners to “watch the thrown.” She is joined by fellow founding member Ben Hozie, who details various ways his personality is constantly influenced, or “thrown”, by phenomena such as “big rock ads” or “the itch on my back.” The track is biting, with metallic bass and taut percussion.
“‘Thrown’ was an attempt at a self-portrait track,” says Hozie. “The older I get the less I trust my own thoughts and perceptions of self ——> I realize most of my values and judgments come from the records, films, books, and advertisements I have consumed my whole life. Recognizing this ‘thrown-ness,’ while slightly disturbing, has been a source of inspiration for my creative mind. If the mind can only output what has been presented —> provide it with the proper input. You can remake yourself entirely at the drop of a (top)hat. The inputs I selected for this lyric: James Joyce and Bob Dylan. The music, to me, is a synthesis of many of the stylistic motifs our group has developed over the past few years : syncopated bass over a slow-shifting sea of guitar harmonics, violent guitar spasms with machine influenced but human-played drums; plus male/female vox alternating between spoken text raps and melody.”
The accompanying lyric video, directed by Belfiglio, is a combination of acrylic portraiture and the graphic design of advertising.
Watch BODEGA’s “Thrown” Lyric Video
The follow-up to the band’s acclaimed debut album, Endless Scroll (2018), and 2019’s Shiny New Model EP, Broken Equipment was inspired by a book club. In the early months of 2020, the Brooklyn art-punk incendiaries gathered together with close friends to study the works of a wide range of philosophers. The resulting Broken Equipment is BODEGA’s attempt to interrogate the external factors that make them who they are, propelling existential quandaries with tongue-in-cheek humor, highly personal lyrics, and irresistible grooves.
The album’s 12 songs are set in present day New York City, packing in references to contemporary issues of algorithmic targeting, media gentrification, and the band itself.
Watch:
“Thrown” Lyric Video
“Doers” Video
Pre-order Broken Equipment
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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]
