By design, punk is super simple. It thrives not on hyper-dexterity, but on the passion of its performers. That’s probably why the latest music video from Stove, the solo project of Steve Hartlett is so impactful. The sepia-toned clip for “Aged Hype”, which is premiering exclusively above and shot by Jeremy Aquilino, is often shaky, and simple.
That ideally mirrors the song itself, which is short (clocking in at under two minutes), simple, but those qualities aren’t detractors. Stove had a musical message to get across, so he did it without belaboring the point, simple as that. The track comes from Is Stupider, Stove’s debut album that was released last month.
A press release describes the album thusly: “Exploring the delicate balance of life’s heavier choices vs. the need for a sense of humor and a healthy dose of alcohol and weed, Is Stupider is a view of our world from afar, taking the time to step back and watch the Stupidity of our choices and conventional beliefs with a sarcastic yet hopeful charm.”
A bonus for Adult Swim viewers: the cover art—check it out below—was created by Ben Prisk, who did the background art for the animated series Squidbillies. Actually, Adult Swim is probably a good comparison for Stove: a seemingly unrefined aesthetic, but with more thought behind the product than you may realize, which is why it has a certain charm that’s hard to quantify.
Stove’s Is Stupider is available to purchase and stream here.
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Featured image courtesy of RJ Gordon
