I think you could probably make an educated guess as to the vein of indie-pop Toronto’s Cootie Catcher play based on their name alone: playfully flirty, low-fidelity power-pop jams coasting on ramshackle appeal. While their fi’s are a little hi-er these days, new track “Friend of a Friend” is largely defined by its stark contrast of acoustic guitar and tight analog drumming with futuristically warbling sample pad—if not its insanely catchy chorus. “In general, our music is influenced by bands like Beat Happening, Belle and Sebastian, and Arthur Russell, but also heavily inspired by Caribou’s first album under the name Manitoba and lots of Squarepusher and music that YouTube recommends when you go down that electronic rabbit hole,” the band’s Nolan Jakupovski shares.
Regarding the new track, he notes that there isn’t a consensus among Cootie Catcher as to its meaning. “I always thought it was about how everyone is connected and knows one another, especially in the city,” he explains. “What the song is pointing out is that despite everyone’s connections, we’re only friends of friends—meaning everyone is only acquaintances with each other and lacking a genuine fondness besides one’s place in the scene or status.”
With that in mind, the video features a series of giggly friends passing along a secret message that is almost certainly about you. “We wanted the video to feel like a long game of broken telephone,” notes the band’s Anita Fowl. “The message keeps getting passed on from a friend to a friend, and then a friend of that friend and their friend. What’s getting passed on doesn’t matter, it’s more about the chain of people tying it together.”
It’s also about the secret message, which, again, is about you. And you should be worried. Check out the clip below.
