Ceramic Animal returned on Friday with a new single, “Up In Smoke”, set to appear on the band’s forthcoming album, Sweet Unknown. The Dan Auerbach-produced LP is out on March 4th via Easy Eye Sound.
“Up In Smoke” furthers the polished sound of Ceramic Animal’s fourth album. The indie, underground quintet got a studio makeover from The Black Keys guitarist/singer, indicative of the band climbing the label ladder. The song carries a wistful bittersweetness in Chris Regan‘s vocals, keeping alive the band’s spark of youth as it continues to mature.
“‘Up In Smoke’ takes you on a forlorn, lonesome journey that shows how the feeling of isolation can seep into every aspect of life,” Regan told Flood Magazine, who premiered the track. “The upbeat instrumentation creates a necessary dichotomy, and acts as a sign of hope. There is always a chance to break out from the hold of solitude.”
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The Bob Sweeney-directed video also offers a more intimate look at the band. In contrast to the more conventional alt-rock video for the album’s title track, the “Up In Smoke” visual accompaniment humanizes Ceramic Animal as a group of friends. The end result is something like a 21st-century reboot of The Monkees if they were from the Midwest and drank High Life.
“The song has an extremely nostalgic feel, so walking around our home town and copping some candid shots near some of our favorite local spots was a fun and easy way to bring some visual context to it,” guitarist Anthony Marchione said of the video. “There’s a cool contrast between those scenes and the more rural ones with us playing our instruments. I think it all speaks to how embracing the people and places around you can be therapeutic in the wake of a dark emotional state.”
Watch the new video for “Up In Smoke” by Ceramic Animal and click here to pre-order Sweet Unknown.
Ceramic Animal – “Up In Smoke” (Official Video)