Video Premiere: Luke and the Lonely to drop fourth single Friday
Austin music fans may already be familiar with fast rising Latin act, Superfónicos but perhaps not so with percussionist Nick Tozzo’s side project, Luke and the Lonely. Unlike many sidemen, this act Tozzo joined as drummer, quickly gained momentum in the local music scene on the heels of milestone events like Superfónicos‘ Austin City Limits Music Festival appearance. Just as quickly, the group lost that momentum when live music took an extended pause due to the worldwide pandemic. The music ecosystem in Austin as every major metro is still recovering.
The result of all this for Luke and the Lonely is a polished, well-made music video and the band’s fourth single which will officially drop Friday, May 7 but fans can watch the video for, “I Need You” exclusively here at The Cosmic Clash until then.
Tozzo talked about how the video got made in an email to TCC, “Before recording with Frenchie (Smith at The Bubble) in early 2020, we had been playing gigs at venues like Stubb’s and Mohawk and many others. That’s why we went all out with our music video production last summer. We hired director Mario Mattei to direct the project. He’s a filmmaker who has won awards for his various short films, most notably “Time Slot”. He also directed a documentary called “The Gentleman Driver” which can be found on Netflix.”
Frontman and songwriter Luke Bellet expanded on that line of thinking adding comments suggesting the duality of hope and cynicism in the song will resonate with artists and fans alike after the weirdness we’ve lived through the past 24 months.
Our take is the pandemic puts all art (particularly music) created in this context in an almost constricting framework that this gorgeously shot clip illustrates pointedly. It’s a wry piece of filmmaking by a clearly talented director for an unexpected work from a Latin drummer from Austin, but the track works on multiple levels. A talent booker friend heard the tune and immediately commented that a venue he books would be perfect for Luke and the Lonely. He’s not wrong. The band knows their home market.
For fans who want to celebrate the single release, Luke and the Lonely have organized a private release party this Friday. Details can be found on their Facebook page. They’re asking fans to reach out directly if they’d like to join the fun. Per the notice on the event page: “DM us to save your spot and get details on the location! If you can’t make it in person join us through live stream at theavenue.live”
Here at The Cosmic Clash, we’re stoked enough on this clip to also make it our Video of the Week sponsored by SIMS Foundation and The Cosmic Clash. Enjoy and Happy Mother’s Day Mom!
Photo courtesy of KUTX
