Coma Girls is the solo project for Los Angeles indie rock artist Chris Spino. His indie-rock songs have a wonderful earthiness to them, an honesty that traverses shoe-gaze, indie rock and folk. Next month, he releases his new LP Crystal Pistol, and we are thrilled today to be premiering the video for the buzzing and captivating single, “Back to the Source”.
The song is an absolute joy to listen to, with the incisive lyrics bathed in wit, cutting to the chase post-haste. “You’re a one-way ticket, You want a pat on the back and a kiss on the mouth” and “You were good at sex / But you’re bad at goodbyes” are but just two examples. His warm vocals and a driving beat keep this one humming along. It packs a punch at just over 2 minutes long, and leaves you wanting more.
Spino shared with the AU his thoughts about the track: “Back to the Source” is by far the poppiest song on the album and the last one we recorded. We did the whole song in two or three hours using a drum machine instead of a live kit. The lead part is a finger-picked melody that mimics the vocal pattern. It’s probably my favorite song lyrically on the record. Most of the lines are basically digs at somebody, while also pointing out things that are attractive about them. It speaks to the confusion, the push and pull, produced by a toxic relationship. It’s like being stuck in a trauma vortex where you can’t tell if you love or hate the person you’re with. The idea was to have the chorus be this super catchy melody part, reinforced with a Casio synth sound. I wanted the verses to have a certain zing to them. That’s something I’ve always loved, especially in hip-hop, folk and country music.”
Anyone who has seen the classic “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video from Bob Dylan, will see the inspiration for the clip to “Back to the Source’. Spino acknowledges the influence and gives us some background on the video.
“The video is directed by my friend and neighbor Annie Hardy (Giant Drag) who shot and edited the whole thing on her iPhone, on this app that’s mostly used by little kids. It’s something she frequently does for her own projects. The idea was to just light a cigarette and have the lyrics on cue cards that I’m misanthropically tossing aside. We got the main shot in one take, in my garage, on my birthday earlier this year, May 24th, the same day as Bob Dylan. The video is an obvious nod to Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” I cut all of my hair off the next day. I felt a huge release because this was the last thing we did for the record after getting the artwork and recordings organized. It felt like turning the last page of the book that is the Crystal Pistol before releasing it to the world. I immediately started working on my next record over the summer.”
Enjoy our exclusive premiere of the video for “Back to the Source”. You will have this one on repeat!
