New Orleans-based band Killer Whale has shared “Comfortable,” the lead single and video from their forthcoming album Tastes Like Yesterday, out September 18th via Devil In The Woods. “Truly a gratifying audio-visual experience, the video takes you through many unconventional, at times hypnotic, scenes pulled right from the wildest side of your imagination,” says V13 in their premiere of the “psychedelic-tinged” new single and its accompanying “sensory-stimulating” video. “You’ll witness a set of eyes growing flowers, a rainbow-coloured dancer, and even an old-fashioned station wagon driving itself.
Experiencing the video is like taking a walk down a winding road of twists and turns where the human mind is left to run wild. “‘Comfortable’ was inspired by growing more comfortable with my own self and the shedding of societal expectations of one’s own self,” says Killer Whale frontman and creative force Thomas Johnson. “I had reached a point in my life when I started feeling confident in my personality which in turn gave me more confidence in my art. This song tries to express that feeling when you begin to really feel comfortable just being who you are.”
Somewhere between the rustic Louisiana bayou and dreamy California shores lies Killer Whale. With their colorful rhythms and rock n’ roll daydreams, they create a space that invites you in, tells you to make yourself at home, and hugs you as you walk in the door. Killer Whale, much like its creator, wanders between New Orleans, Austin, and San Francisco, bearing the melodic scars all that travel brings him. A mixture of genres, Killer Whale doesn’t subscribe to any one camp. Instead, it exudes them all.
This kaleidoscope of sound oozes from every dreamy groove of the album’s 10 psychedelic, surf-infused, funk n’ soul-tinged gems. With that kind of concoction, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to think that the songs would be a melee, an atonal mishmash that harkens back to the days of being different for different’s sake. Under the leadership of another musician, such might be the case, but Killer Whale melds everything together in the name of freaky good fun. “I’m not a perfectionist,” admits Johnson. “Yet I do want each new record to demonstrate some progression from what came before. I don’t necessarily want it to sound radically different, and I think Tastes Like Yesterday accomplishes that. I like the idea of each album hinting at what’s coming next without really being specific about that direction.” Though one can hear echoes of the band’s previous release Casual Crush, this album finds Johnson’s muse immersing him in a very seductive, mellow soul. “I’m from Louisiana, and New Orleans culture and music have always been an influence on me, whether consciously or not,” Johnson says. When asked how he describes his music, Johnson laughs and suggests it’s “Pontoon Soul.” Lead single “Comfortable” offers an example of this new genre; it’s swampy and murky, yet Johnson’s heavenly voice transcends, resulting in a song best described as drop-dead gorgeous.
