Cold Fronts | still from video
Cold Fronts finds companionship at a karaoke bar in the “Fantasy Du Jour” video
Philly garage rock outfit Cold Fronts dropped their sophomore full-length Fantasy Du Jour in April via Sire Records, and they just recently released a quirky video for its title track, playfully emboding both vintage nostalgia and social anxiety.
Frontman Craig Almquist, donning a drafty suit jacket like a high schooler on his way to prom, sways awkwardly in a karaoke bar, mouthing words, his expression a vacant deadpan. The room is lit with a soft neon glow and a glittering disco ball throws sparkles across the frayed Oriental rug. The scene could easily have been plucked from Napoleon Dynamite. The song delivers shoegaze and grunge tones with a tinge of self-conscious humor, taking a lighthearted perspective on the burden of unrequited romance: “Being in love’s no fun / when you’re the only one.”
This is sort of the outlook that Cold Fronts takes to the video, directed by local videographer Peter Engish, using an awkward moment onstage alone at a karaoke bar as an illustration of our need for companionship.