Looking for some grimy, noisy, post-rock goodness to spike your annual Milwaukee Day celebration? Then look no further than grimy, noisy, post-rock purveyors Primitive Broadcast Service, whose latest video single, “Chameleon,” dropped today. Fans of dissonant-but-catchy odes to fear and anxiety take note.
“‘Chameleon’ is a whimsical song about the terrors of identity management in a medium-paced yet hyper-aware urban environment,” explains the band, describing a city that sounds awfully familiar. “The circular main riff and faux disco beat, tossed into hardcore spin cycle, build a casual, constant tension—urban anxiety at work. The chorus breaks signify release as the chameleon looks for love, a break in the routine, new colors. Is it ‘good to be a chameleon living in the city’?”
Food for thought. PBS consists of Bryan Dorn on drums; Andy Steffenhagen on bass; and J.D. Morgan on guitars, vocals, and “found sounds.” “Chameleon” comes from the group’s upcoming second album, Colors For Chameleons, due in July.
As for the video itself…
Filmed, directed and edited by Milwaukee-based film-lord Justin Propp, the maker of Swamphead. The video was shot in the hallway of our practice space in the basement of an old sausage factory in Milwaukee (about 85 miles north of Chicago for anybody keeping track). In fact, we recorded the drum kit for “Chameleon” (and bass and drums for the rest of the new album) in a dry storage locker of the same basement. Guitars, vocals and other found sounds and instruments were recorded, engineered and mixed by Vin Smith of Avenues at Wreckage Industries.
Catch up with PBS’ self-titled debut—released in 2019—HERE. Revel in the distortion, the storage-locker drums, and the free-floating urban anxiety! That’s all part of living in this city, too.