It’s Not Looking Good by Present Company is being released today! Check it out:
Present Company has a cheerful sardonicism that is infectious. They pour an irresistible beat onto messages that are brutally honest. You know those songs that make you feel happy when you sing them. They’re upbeat and joyous and then you listen to the words and realize you’ve been duped. (Think Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People.) That’s this song. I love it!
We spoke to founding Present Company members Christian Nelson and Eddie Chisham last October. We spoke a lot about their video for Please. It’s a story-based video that I really enjoyed for so many reasons. So, when Christian told me that they were doing a new video I was excited. Then he said it was going to be a more live-band-playing approach and I don’t even think I was clever with hiding my disappointment but I remained begrudgingly optimistic.
Credit where credit is due, I really enjoy this video. Christian has a very expressive face and movements. His singing with the band playing, rocking and enthusiastic but so much less emotive is so subtle. There’s a voyeuristic feel to watching the band who never really look into the camera until the deadpan chorus shot with hints of Zoom sing directly to the viewer. The directness of “it’s not looking good” is miraculously and easily lost in the messaging – until that point.
There’s just something very clever about how these guys do things.
Mostly Minnesota 