Dinosaur Jr. are gearing up to release their latest album, Sweep It Into Space, later this week on April 23rd. As a final preview of what to expect, they just dropped a new song from the record called “Take It Back” and it comes with a delightfully absurdist claymation video to boot. Check it out below.
Musically, “Take It Back” is a surprisingly upbeat number that features J Mascis flaunting his guitar solo skills and his digital mellotron talent alike. It’s chipper and lighthearted, and that sound is all the more drawn out in the track’s playful music video, directed by Callum Scott-Dyson. In it, a little claymation creature can be seen napping by the ocean, reminiscing about old memories, and literally stretching himself out in the search to find more friends.
“I really wanted to use the creature on the front of the album sleeve for Sweep It Into Space as an inspiration and springboard for its own little adventure, exploring some simple notions of creation, dependence, coming of age, and searching for another like yourself,” explained Scott-Dyson in a press release. “I wanted to mix those themes with my style of stop motion animation, everything being very DIY and handmade, using any materials I could get my hands on to bring the idea to life and give it a surreal and otherworldly feel.”
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This is the third song Dinosaur Jr. have released from Sweep It Into Space. It follows the lead single “I Ran Away” and last month’s “Garden”, a mid-tempo ballad written by the band’s own Lou Barlow. It’s the band’s 12th album to date and first in five years, following 2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not.
Last month, Dinosaur Jr. announced 2021 tour dates and rescheduled their highly anticipated Camp Fuzz festival to later this July. The three-day retreat in the Catskills includes arts and crafts, master classes, Q&A panels, and of course performances from Dinosaur Jr. and friends — and today they’ve announced a few of those guests. This year’s Camp Fuzz will feature actor and writer Michael Imperioli performing a live reading from his novel The Perfume Burned His Eyes, Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows hosting a stage banter workshop, and a live performance by punk legends Negative Approach. Tickets are still on sale.
