“OK Cool” is kind of the perfect name for the Chicago-based duo of Bridget Stiebris and Haley Blomquist Waller, whose slacker-pop formula feels casually affirmative. Just over two years since releasing their Fawn EP, the band is returning in August with their first-ever full-length expanding on their balance of scrappy garage-pop and geographically accurate emo. Chit Chat was introduced with a (*Borat voice*) very nice lead single last month, with today’s drop “Safety Car” leaning into an early Built to Spill vibe previously explored on 2023’s equally automotive-focused “Nissanweekends.”
“This song is about the people in your life that make you feel loved and grounded,” shares Blomquist Waller. “I wrote it last year with my husband in mind while we were starting to plan our wedding. There are references in the lyrics to things we do together that I know, in the future, I will look back on as peaceful vignettes. It’s about feeling nostalgic and grateful for things as they’re happening.”
Filmmaker Joe Baughman picked up on the dialog between the band’s pristine production and DIY ethos, with his music video for the track recalling the high-concept arts-and-craft exhibitions of Michel Gondry. “I love getting to work with OK Cool (legends) because they’re always down to clown and their music tends to fit my visual aesthetic,” Baughman says. “With ‘Safety Car,’ I set out to create an intersection of pro and lo-fi (which is how the song felt to me; really polished but still DIY and real), building a full-on set but mainly using cardboard and construction paper and a projection screen made out of a tarp. It was so fun to shoot! Shoutout to Haley and Bridget for dancing wholeheartedly in a very warm two-headed sweater.”
Check it out below, and pre-order the LP ahead of its August 1 release here.
