Based in Brooklyn, musical trio Medium have released new single ‘Life in Hell’ – a fast-paced track that fluctuates between the rock, punk and psychedelic genres. The band is fronted by Cotter Phinney on guitar and vocals, with a newly introduced lineup of Rocko Zevenbergen on drums and Veska Naratama playing bass.
Like many other Medium tracks, Cotter recorded the single to a cassette tape which gives ‘Life in Hell’ an authentic and almost grainy sound that compliments the heavy guitar use within the song. This DIY process of recording music definitely pays off as the short but sweet track has a genuinely earnest feel due to its lo-fi nature, and feels as though it could have been pulled out of the golden era of psychedelic rock.
‘Life in Hell’ features layers of whirring and distorted guitars, with drumbeats looping in the background alongside a quick and expressive bassline. The song finishes just as soon as it begins, but this tactic only makes listeners want to hear it again with it instantly becoming an earworm.
‘Life in Hell’s accompanying music video showcases the band stuck in the exhausting cycle of work, specifically office jobs – their frustration builds until they destroy their workplace, having transformed into Kiss-esque rock makeup. The video was directed by Cotter in his first time behind the camera, with help behind the scenes from Rocko who is a film director, and Veska who is a fashion designer – about the experience he explained, “Brooks Houser (director of photography) absolutely killed it. We had an entire prop warehouse available to us and a dozen other people lending their expertise. So I feel extremely lucky and thankful for how it all went down.”
Medium have proved their talents through their self-recorded singles and self-made video – impressively showing that DIY music and your own creativity can create nostalgic and dynamic results.
Photo by Clementine Hage
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