Video Fun (+ Some News) From The Julys

So, a while back I happened to mention a cool little band from here called {The Julys}; didn’t know a damn thing about ’em at the time, but I liked what little I’d been able to hear. Then there was a heck of a lot of silence — to be honest, I’d kind of figured the band had called it a day, as so many bands do before they really get a chance to come into their own.

Happily, that’s turned out not to be the case. I got an out-of-the-blue email from Julys guitarist/vocalist Allen-Michael a few days ago, giving a bit of a heads-up on the band; seems the silence wasn’t all in my head, after all, but rather the band taking a bit of a break. They’re back at it now, however, and are currently prepping to record a real-live EP.

In the meantime, they got a cheerily-named video-maker who calls herself MAGIC CHILL to make them a video for new song “Bowie”, seemingly out of old-old-old dinosaurs-and-biplanes B-movie footage. (What, don’t all dinosaur movies also have biplanes? Work with me here, people…).

The video’s quirky and neat — I catch myself foolishly trying to decipher the plot — but the music’s the real star here, to be sure, all half-desperate, speeding, bouncing indie-pop with rough-yet-sweet vocals, a ton of jangly guitars, and totally un-ironic handclaps. Fans of fellow Houstonians {The Wild Moccasins} (or of catchy, sharp, propulsive indie-pop in general), you need to be paying attention. Oh, and I get a nice Guided By Voices vibe from the whole thing, too, which is never a bad thing.

Here’s the video, for your probably-bemused enjoyment:

Julys – Bowie from MAGIC CHILL on Vimeo.

Keep an eye on ’em, folks, seriously…