Spanning the distance between Toronto and LA, Brent Randall and Johnny Toomey’s musical outfit Vanity Mirror is boundaryless in more ways than just the range of genres it covers. With the former artist based in the Eastern Canadian city and the latter on the US West Coast, their recently announced debut album together under their latest moniker (they previously put out music as The Electric Looking Glass), PUFF, is the result of recordings sessions in libraries, vintage shops, and abandoned spaces across North America, fortifying the timelessness of the Elephant 6–esque lo-fi sound the project embraces.
In addition to that sound, the music video for the record’s first single “Dandelion Wish”—a vintage jangle-pop number recalling their vintage-obsessed peers in The Lemon Twigs—takes cues from ’70s fashion, ’80s low-budget TV, and a definitely ’90s rock band. “We always loved the look of ‘Big Bang Baby’ by the Stone Temple Pilots,” Randall shares of the clip’s inspiration. “This turned out a little different, but still has that vibe. Johnny and I have a great love of fashion and large wardrobes, so we planned out all these different monochromatic outfits that matched the little set we made in the photo studio. So as we perform the song our outfits magically change from matching satin pink, velvet green, denim blue, etc. I think it’s pretty fun.
“It kind of comes off as an early-’80s local public television children’s show,” Randall adds. “It’s kind of odd, but it matches our vibe. We shot this again with Mat Dunlap who added some groovy lyrical elements too, so all the kids at home can sing along.”
Watch the video below, and expect PUFF to arrive May 12 via We Are Busy Bodies.
