Photo credit: Aaron Oxford
Watch: “Since You’ve Been Gone” official video featuring Dams Of The West at PopMatters or YouTube
Stream: “Since You’ve Been Gone” featuring Dams Of The West and “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” featuring Photo Ops at Soundcloud or Spotify
On September 25, Los Angeles-based musician D.A. Stern will release his mixtape Mmxxtape, featuring covers and collaborations with artists such as Fat Tony, Colleen Green, Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend, Party Nails and more. Today D.A. Stern revealed “Tall Girlfriend” the latest single to be lifted from
Mmxxtape. The
song features
Alex Winston and the video, which was directed by Thaddeus Ruzicka premiered today at
American Songwriter.
About the song D.A. Stern says:
The video for “Tall Girlfriend” is pretty much a literal interpretation of a joke. The song follows, more or less, a set-up/punchline structure so we wanted the video to emphasize the humor behind it. It was obvious that we needed two people who were exceptionally mismatched in height so casting was everything. Thaddeus Ruzicka, who directed the video, took it up a notch by introducing a story about a tall businesswomen’s convention, which always reminded me of Romy and Michele in the best way. There is no real reason for why I’m dressed in a cheap rococo costume, other than it was lying around and seemed to underline the surreal inanity of the whole thing.
Last month D.A. Stern released the official video for his take on Weird Al’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” which features
Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend aka Dams of The West. The video for the first single from his forthcoming release was directed by
Graham Ohmer, premiered at
PopMatters and the song can be shared as part of a playlist featuring the b-side “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” featuring
Photo Ops at
Soundcloud. Few artists are equally skilled producers as they are songwriters. For Los Angeles-based, New Jersey-raised D.A. Stern, the two roles marry perfectly to showcase his playful deftness and signature wit. His full-length
Slumberland debut, 2018’s
Aloha Hola, was an impressive collection of ornate, hook-laden power-pop. Its proficiency and economy of writing recalled R.E.M. or Big Star while its simultaneously wry and introspective lyrics evoked Harry Nilsson. Though that album marked the first D.A. Stern release, his undeniable talent had been long evident. Raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, he cut his teeth in New York City’s music community with his band the Sanctuaries. After recording their LP in Nashville with longtime
Yo La Tengo producer Roger Moutenot, D.A. turned to engineering and production, honing his craft at
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s recording studio, Oscilloscope Laboratories. Working with such luminaries as
Kathleen Hannah, Cat Power, James Murphy, Mike D, and
Adrock quickly developed Stern’s studio chops as well has his Todd Rundgren-esque songwriting/producing double threat.
Now, based in Los Angeles, D.A. has enlisted friends he’s made throughout his journey to lend their vocals to a mixtape that highlights his progression. Tributes to “Weird” Al Yankovic, one of Stern’s heroes, featuring Dams of the West, aka Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend, and Photo Ops on covers of the comedy icon’s non-parody originals. Guest spots from Alex Winston and Party Nails highlight Stern’s pop sensibilities with one original and a cover of Frank & Nancy Sinatra’s “Something Stupid.” Flexing his more experimental muscle, Stern’s collaborations with Fat Tony and Colleen Green on one track and Ben Hozie of Bodega on another demonstrate his diverse capabilities with nods to hip hop, film noir, noise, and modular synth soaked prog rock.
