The Umbrellas – Photo Credit: Sarah Phenix
The San Francisco bay area has long been an important outpost of the International Pop Underground, from the 90s heyday of The Aislers Set, #Poundsign# and The Fairways to the string of legendary popfests in the early 00s and more recently to a DIY pop resurgence with bands like The Mantles, Flowertown and The Reds, Pinks & Purples.
Included into the area’s rich pop tradition and increasingly prolific scene are The Umbrellas, who, after one well-received release (2019’s Maritime E.P.), are sure to impress with their new self-titled debut album out August 6th on Slumberland Records.
Today, The Big Takeover is pleased to premiere the video for the record’s first single “She Buys Herself Flowers”.
The band shares some insight into the track stating, ““She Buys Herself Flowers” is about finding value and worth in oneself instead of dwelling on what that-one-person-said-that-one-time.”
Classic indiepop influences are very much in evidence here, from The Byrds to Orange Juice, along with a noticeable garage-pop/Paisley Underground flavor that permeates the album’s first single. “Keith (Frerichs, guitar) wrote the catchy riff and we all worked off of it to create a song that lingers around like a short story,” the band reveals.
The track’s sunshine jangle provides a tapestry of color to compliment the video’s clever use of black and white stills making it a perfect companion to help usher in a post-pandemic summer.
“The video was made when we stayed with our good friend Zoë Zag in LA. All five of us crammed in her car and ran around town with her pointing at things for us to climb on top of or underneath!” The band shares before concluding, “She went on to Xerox each still into a video that immortalizes the freedom of touring and finding solace through friendship and music.”
Brilliantly catchy, the lead-off single introduces listeners to a band that’s both intimately conversant with indiepop history but also unburdened by it, a band with the song-crafting chops and spirit to take familiar elements and create for themselves a fresh new sound.
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