At this point, Scarves are veterans of the PNW scene where indie intersects with emo—which is to say that perhaps no producer was better suited to work on their upcoming LP Stray Forever than Chris Walla. The title track and latest preview of the record echoes the quiet charm of Death Cab for Cutie’s earliest material, albeit with a funky central riff that instead brings the Millennial synth jam “Electric Feel” to mind.
Regarding the track, Scarves’ Niko Stathakopoulos explains that the cut embodies the album’s themes of coming-of-age in a modern world where just about everything we build our lives around, it turns out, is entirely structurally unsound. “‘Strays Forever’—both the song and the record—focuses on a couple who find themselves on unsteady footing as all the unknowns of the world begin to encroach upon them,” he explains. “This song in particular is about that game of ping-ponging optimism we often find ourselves in with the ones we love, a reminder that maybe it’s not that you aren’t good enough for the world, but that the world isn’t good enough for you.”
Paired with the song is an animated lyric video created by Joshua Young, which illustrates familiar scenes of cross-country moves and trips to acquire Slurpees. “There’s something about Scarves and their music that lends itself to the kind of illustration/animations I make,” Young shares. “There’s a playfulness in the seriousness of their songs, the need to tell a story with a sense of optimism. I’ve been thinking about this record since their demos, and the 7-Eleven is the first thing I drew for this record. It seemed fitting to let it anchor the video so we could see the characters through the seasons.”
Check that out below, and grab a copy of Strays Forever here before the record drops on September 18 via Tender Loving Empire.
