Since 2021, Tchotchke have been bringing the same spirit of carefree West Coast bubblegum pop to the less-surfable Atlantic coastline as their NYC peers The Lemon Twigs, with a vintage-shop sheen adorning their 2022 self-titled capsule of psychedelic Brill Building homage. In fact the brothers D’Addario produced that record and have since returned aboard for Tchotchke’s latest chapter, Playin’ Dumb, which they’re teasing today with the sophomore record’s second single, “Poor Girl” (“Did You Hear?” dropped last month ahead of the LP announcement). Coasting on three-part harmonies and embellished with retro keys, the track feels as indebted to Brian Wilson as it does to La Luz.
Not only have Anastasia Sanchez, Eva Chambers, and Emily Tooraen perfected their interwoven vocals, but even their lyrics have become almost eerily reflective of each other. “We confined ourselves to creating the personas of three ungrateful and out-of-touch girls with complete stories in the span of four lines each,” shares Tooraen of their approach to writing “Poor Girl.” “The challenge was emphasizing the fact that these girls were not ‘poor’ in the slightest but, in fact, very privileged to have the self-imposed problems they’re so tortured over. The song embraces the girls’ short sob stories while also capturing a sunshiney, Beach Boys quality. It wasn’t until after the completion of the song, to our collective shock, that we realized our counterparts had effortlessly cast themselves. All along, we were creating the villain versions of each other.”
Those villainous counterparts star in Kaila Chambers and Hilla Eden’s music video for the track, which also integrates collage-esque cutouts, stop-motion animation, and other creative embellishments. Check it out below—along with a few exclusive behind-the-scenes images from the video shoot courtesy of the band’s Anastasia Sanchez and co-director Chambers—and expect Playin’ Dumb to drop September 5.
