It’s been about a year since The Kickback dropped their Jim Eno-produced debut album, Sorry All Over the Place, via Jullian Records. Yet thanks to some wild patience, the Chicago rockers have saved their most creative video for their latest (and possibly greatest) single to date: “Fanger”.
Directors Lauren Travers and David Wall of CineMiniature Pictures spent over six months producing the captivating stop-motion video, starting from storyboarding to set, prop, and puppet construction to the arduous task of shooting 2,520 photographs and finally to the meticulous post-production.
“I met David and Lauren at this camp for little kids we all worked at and found out we had a lot in common,” explains singer-songwriter Billy Yost, who also moonlights as a teacher, adding in disbelief: “I still can’t believe they made this. They even got our puppet tour manager Howie in the mix.”
Inspired by the old Christmas productions by Rankin/Bass, the stellar video offers a surreal escape into Yost’s anxious, hectic mind, one that just can’t seem to enjoy an afternoon of tubbing or couch surfing. That’s okay, though, because things take an adventurous turn for the best.
“The song’s about being scared all the time and just wanting to live in the bathtub,” Yost expands on its themes and influences. “I get inordinately excited about Christmas, which I think sort of went hand-in-hand with losing my mind any time one of the Rankin-Bass specials would come on.
“Those specials are still one of the remaining things that do their best to tell me that everything is probably going to be okay,” he continues, concluding: “Every world presented is something I want to get sucked into.” Needless to say, Travers and Wall nailed those feelings to precision.
And that’s not all as Yost jokes that it’s “maybe the first time anyone has gotten to introduce their new guitar via stop-motion.” While that’s a feat that probably won’t turn any heads from the busy folks over at Guinness, Yost contends that, “Eight-year-old Billy would be so goddamn pleased with me.”
Watch above and if that’s the sound you’re looking for, here’s some more good news: The Kickback are playing a hometown show at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall tonight, opening up for a reunited Miracle Legion. Shortly after, they’ll hit the road for a very, very lengthy tour. Grab those dates below.
The Kickback 2016 Tour Dates:
07/22 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall w/ Miracle Legion
07/23 – Columbus, OH @ Brother’s Drake
07/24 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahalls Main Room
07/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
07/27 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East *
07/28 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint *
07/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
07/30 – Rehoboth Beach, DE @ Dogfish Head Brew Pub
08/01 – Washington, DC @ DC9 *
08/02 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 ^
08/04 – Greensville, SC @ Radio Room ^
08/05 – Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor ^
08/06 – Charleston, SC @ Royal American ^
08/07 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits ^
08/09 – Mobile, AL @ The Merry Widow ^
08/10 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa ^
08/11 – Birmingham, AL @ The Syndicate Lounge ^
08/12 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl at Center Stage Complex ^
09/07 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey #
09/08 – Denton, TX @ TBD #
09/09 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder #
09/10 – San Antonio, TX @ Limelight #
09/11 – Houston, TX @ Walter’s #
09/13 – El Paso, TX @ LowBrow Palace #
09/14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge #
09/15 – Beverly Hills, CA @ The W Hotel
09/16-17 – Del Mar, CA @ Kaaboo Del Mar
09/18 – Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar
09/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Resident Bar #
09/21 – Ventura, CA @ The Garage #
09/22 – Oakland, CA @ The Stork Club #
09/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar #
09/24 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Blue Lagoon #
09/25 – Sacramento, CA @ The Starlite #
09/27 – Eugene, OR @ HiFi Music Hall #
09/28 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #
09/29 – Seattle, WA @ High Dive #
09/30 – Bend, OR @ TBD #
10/01 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Lounge #
10/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Billboard Live #
10/04 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge #
10/06 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Icon Lounge
10/07 – Wheaton, MN @ Old Jehovah House
10/08 – Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling Festival
# = w/ Avi Buffalo
* = w/ Cold Fronts
^ = w/ Heyrocco