PREMIERE | Total Slacker, "Freddy Krewger Sweater"
Total Slacker’s Tucker Rountree being pursued by a certain famous antagonist; video still courtesy of Nathan Kohler.
In the spirit of the solstice we bring you a very special presentation and announcement. While it is customary across virtually all media platforms, franchises and what have you to offer up some sort of ritualistic sacrificial slice of sensationalism to appease the autumnal deities: Week in Pop is pleased to present the following very special premiere. For it is a time-honored tradition where the legends and leagues of visionaries and veterans of the entertainment echelons emerge to offer up their most enchanting of wares and works to mystify the minds of the masses and arouse the interests of all the available surrounding sensory receptors .
It is in this spirt that we present the grand unveiling of Total Slacker’s new spectacular single "Freddy Krewger Sweater”, complete visuals from Nathan Kohler from the upcoming album Chlorine. The fifth album from the DIY stalwart and patron underground pop saint Tucker Rountree, the latest single offers those trademark tones and timeless warm cadences that recall the past, present and future of arts administered with analogue affinities for creativity that is crafted beyond the digital pale.
Tucker Rountree introduced the single and visual with the following:
It's a hilarious thriller through an 80's world of horror movie clichés backed by pop music bumps.
“Freddy Krewger Sweater” celebrates the styles of 80s throwbacks that mixes suspense and anarchic era specific sentiments that recalls all the campy media in conjunction with antiquated, modernist memories. Sitting pretty next to thriller classics like “Nightmare On My Street”, Total Slacker delivers a tribute to the Wes Craven franchise full of frantic phone conversations, creeping paranoia, stalker scares and more.
In the Halloween glow with Total Slacker’s Tucker Rountree; video still courtesy of Nathan Kohler.
Tucker adds a new nuanced chapter to the legendary series, a song of scary survivalist exploits in the face of mythical danger and a familiar, frightening antagonist that causes a world of havoc for our hero and their friends. As the plot thickens and more antics are lyrically described, Total Slacker brings it all back to the 1980s with some spooky yet sultry saxophone action that immerses the audience full on into the depths of a suburban nightmare.
Total Slacker’s Tucker Rountree; visual still courtesy of Nathan Kohler.
The vintage vibes are further reinforced with a VHS style video from Nathan Kohler that features Rountree being pursued by the song’s namesake villain. An evening of Halloween programming interrupted by a fateful warning from a friend begins the adventure that spans seasonal pranks and classic trick-or-treat tropes as the situation becomes increasingly more serious. The now iconic 80s Total Slacker mobile plays a crucial role in the nail biting vignette as Tucker's mantra of try not to get killed tonight drives the drama as the suspenseful—yet campily comical—mayhem surrounds the scene in sung descriptions, headlamp spotlights and other low key lighting that drive's the song's overall vibe and mysterious mood.
Total Slacker’s new album Chlorine will be available soon.