In the midst of news of ex–So So Glo Davey Jones’ forthcoming debut album under his D Jones moniker, SSG frontman Alex Levine—a.k.a. Alexander Orange Drink—has been in the process of rolling out his own debut solo record, Babel On, since September. Like Jones’ Paranoid Fiction, Babel On was produced by Adam Reich, producer-in-residence of Brooklyn’s communal DIY venue Shea Stadium, which closed its physical space in summer of 2017.
Today, Alexander Orange Drink—no known relation to Rex Orange County—is releasing a video for the record’s standout track, “Normalize.” Opening with a Bertolt Brecht quote concerning the importance of friendship in deflecting the bitterness and tragedy of the surrounding world, the Matthew Greeley–directed clip captures several moments of tenderness between NYC poet Fenix Soledad and indie songwriter Emmerson in the midst of a heat lightning storm. In place of the sunny SoCal vibes of the West Coast’s middle-nominal Orange, AOD—his hushed tone, acoustic guitar, and curiously nu metal snare severely toned down from the raucous energy of his previous band—paints a grim portrait of the present, as defined by the rampant normalization of destructive policies being put into place in America.
“The song comments on the destructive tendency to normalize political chaos,” Levine explains, “enabling it to continue, and the simultaneous necessity to just exist and have fun within a human relationship—a distractive coping mechanism.”
Babel On is out now via Kobalt/AWAL.
