Video Age Face Their Fears Through Funk In “Shadow On The Wall”

Today New Orleans synth-pop outfit Video Age return with a groovy new track called “Shadow On The Wall” and announce their signing to Winspear. 

“Shadow On The Wall” is a bouncy, synth-pop bop that sees the new wave crew–led by songwriters Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli and rounded out by band members Nick Corson and Duncan Troast–dipping their toes into disco. It’s the band’s first release following 2018’s Pop Therapy, and their funkiest tune to date, punctuated by a drifting guitar solo around the 2:00 mark.

“[It’s] a song about facing your fears,” Micarelli said in a statement. “Although it can be tempting to give in to what’s plaguing you, funky self expression is one way to rise above the fog and see what’s real.”

Lyrically, the track starts on a wistful note: “Lonely night / I’m wishing only I was looking in your eyes / Time goes by / I wanna hold you but I’m never feeling right,” Farbe sings in the opening verse. By the chorus, Farbe sounds resolved to push past whatever’s holding him back: “You’re just a shadow on the wall / They don’t mean nothing at all.”

“Shadow On The Wall” is Video Age’s first release on Winspear, whose roster includes the likes of Barrie, The Lemon Twigs, and Kevin Krauter. The band’s first two records–Pop Therapy and 2016’s Living Alone–were released on another beloved NYC indie label–Inflated Records–which, over the last decade, has helped launch artists such as Gemma, Speedy Ortiz, Oberhofer, and Palm. Though the band hasn’t formally announced their next record, a press statement indicates that it’s on the horizon.

“On Living Alone we were experimenting with different ways of recording, and ended up using a cheap drum machine on a couple songs. We decided we liked that sound and wanted to take it further on Pop Therapy,” the band said in an interview last year when asked how their sophomore effort compared to their 2016 debut. “We got a nicer, more versatile drum machine, and based all of the recordings around that. We also had our band mates Nick Corson and Duncan Troast play on a bunch of tracks, which added a ton of energy to the recordings.”

Video Age have channeled funk influences before–most notably on Pop Therapy. Farbe and Micarelli have cited NOLA’s legendary funk/R&B band The Meters as an important inspiration for that album, along with records by Donald Fagen, Sly and the Family Stone, Paul McCartney, Hiroshi Satoh, and Cleaners From Venus.

“We recorded the album at Ross’s house and our practice space, mostly on an 8 track reel to reel,” the band said in the same interview. “All of our instruments and most of the recording equipment came from the ‘80s. It’s vintage stuff that has a vibe but it’s relatively affordable and still works. But at the end of the day, if the music makes us dance and feel good, then we like it.”

“Shadow On The Wall” is out now via Winspear.