For nearly a decade now, Albuquerque-based rockers Prism Bitch have evolved their balance of garage-rock riffing and playful theatricality that bleeds into much of their discography (to say nothing of their famously over-the-top videography). They’ve released a slate of singles since 2021’s PERLA LP—most recently this past April’s “Woman,” which mercilessly drags just about every song with that title written by a man over the past 50 years—and today they return with their most fascinating period piece to date. “City Nights” is a pastiche of mid-’80s haze, with the electronic drumbeat and ambient synths bringing to mind the decade’s stadium-filling pop hits and the muscular guitars and cowbell of the chorus swinging in the direction of the glam metal fad (all of which makes Lilah Rose’s occasional exaggerated butt-rock vocals feel ahead of their time).
The track, of course, comes paired with a ludicrous video which continues to pay homage to the ’80s by using James L. Brooks’ romcom Broadcast News as a jumping off point as it depicts the local news in comic tones. “We were able to get all this help from our community in Albuquerque and ended up making something really fun,” the band’s Lauren Poole shares. “It’s important not to disengage from the world around us with all the intense and very scary things happening. It’s also important to keep fun alive, and we really hope that this song and video will brighten someone’s day.”
Watch the video, directed by Rose, below.
