L.A. Exes share the music video for their newest single “Skinny Dipping” (Black Rainbow Records), just in time for your 4th of July hangs this coming weekend. The Caitlin Gerard directed music video depicts a wild pool party hosted by none other than Kate Micucci, that ends with a bang and as one might expect, a lack of clothing. The song is the latest release from the queer quartet comprised of fast friends Sam Barbera (vox, bass), Jenny Owen Youngs (vox, guitar), Rachel White (lead guitar), and Steph Barker (drums). “Skinny Dipping” follows the debut single “Temporary Goodbye” which Stereogum described as “a jump, fizzy piece of power-pop about wanting to get away from all the stressful shit that’s constantly surrounding you.” That perfectly encapsulates the foursome’s M.O., who came together in Los Angeles via a mutual desire to write and record fun and irreverent songs as an escape from our bleaker realities.
“Skinny Dipping” was produced by Jake Sinclair (Panic! At The Disco, Courtney Love, Weezer), and the accompanying video is certainly an escape from reality. The Exes play to a crowd of anthropomorphic animal dancers, things get wild, a love story blossoms, and the revelers end up at the only logical point for such raucous pool side festivities. Disrobed. “The whole scene was pretty bizarre,” says Rachel White. “We got a gig to play a pool party and we didn’t realize that all the patrons were human animal hybrids or that they would take our song literally”
L.A. Exes blend beachy sixties sonics with a modern edge to bring you good vibes for dark times. Though their lyrics are chock full of vulnerability and biting wit, the Exes always bring the party. While none of the Exes have dated each other, there have been cathartic tears shed over breakups at songwriting sessions, and one or two of them would definitely cop to having had a legitimate crush on a fellow band member after meeting them for the first time at a party in the past.
As bassist and one of L.A. Exes’ two lead singers, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer Sam Barbera has collaborated with Kygo, toured with Walk The Moon and racked up over 35 million streams for her songs under the name BEGINNERS. Jenny Owen Youngs’ ethereal voice has won over a legion of diehard fans for her own music, and led to tours with the likes of Regina Spektor, Against Me!, and Frank Turner. Rachel White is always on the move, bouncing from producing to writing to amateur ornithology, her mile-a-minute mind has landed her in the engineering booths of Panic! At The Disco, 5SOS, and Weezer. Steph Barker’s award-winning jazz chops have landed her on international tours with artists like Kate Nash, Coast Modern, and Love Fame Tragedy. When she’s not keeping a beat for L.A. Exes, you can find her working on her solo project, Baby Bulldog.
Together, they make up the queer, female powerhouse of your dreams. Stay tuned for new music and announcements dropping in the coming weeks.
