The Bright Light Social Hour celebrate more than a decade of bringing “continually exhilarating” (NPR Music) music to the masses with a re-issue of their self-titled debut album via Supermassive, out now.
Their new video for “Ocean” brings life to the long-lost track from the original album sessions. “Merry and macabre,” as the band describes it, the video revolves around the discovery of a forgotten VHS tape of a 2010 show at the previous incarnation of Emo’s on Red River in their hometown of Austin, TX.
Transfixed by the old performance, The Bright Light Social Hour watch as a strange figure appears on the tape. The video shaman soon transcends the analog universe and possesses the spirit of band member Jackie O’Brien, guiding him towards an unknown oceanic destiny.
“Ocean” was originally recorded in 2010, but left on the cutting room floor when studio time ran dry. The video quite literally follows the story of the song – the first half a joyous celebration of life, the second a monolithic meditation of the great beyond – sung entirely in Spanish.
Lyrics:
Hacemos el camino
Vengan mójense hermanos
Translation:
We forge the path
Brothers and sisters, come get wet
Limited-edition vinyl bundles of ‘The Bright Light Social Hour (11th Anniversary Edition)’ are now available, featuring exclusive color variants, 7″ demos, handwritten lyrics, t-shirts and more.
Having endured a global pandemic and the loss of their brother/manager to bipolar disorder (explored in their two-volume psych epic ‘Jude’),’ the reissue delivers a fresh celebration of the album that propelled the band to international renown. After many years out of print on vinyl, the remastered 180g reissue features “Ocean,” four previously unreleased demos and a new hand-illustrated cover by Cody Gunningham.
Known for their bold brand of psychedelia informed by hard rock, soul, post-disco and pop, The Bright Light Social Hour have supported artists from Aerosmith to Thee Oh Sees, worked with Bryan Cranston to score the theme for Amazon’s ‘Sneaky Pete’, provided soundtracks for HBO and Nintendo, and had songs featured on Riverdale, Vice Principals, Kingdom, Brooklyn 99, Teen Wolf and more.
