Coming off the success of their synthy sophomore LP Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs back in September, New Jersey’s Blood Cultures have set out on a small set of U.S. tour dates that’ll keep them busy through early December. In the midst of this journey, the experimental four-piece are sharing a video for the Uncertainty track “Broadcasting” today, which aptly depicts four minutes of choreographed dance.
As upbeat as the track may be, and as happy as performer Anjali Mehta looks dancing to it, the band shares that the song is about questioning one’s identity, particularly from the standpoint of an immigrant to this country. “I was raised in New Jersey, after my parents immigrated from Pakistan,” says the band. “Growing up with one culture inside your home, and another one at school, in your community, and in media is a hard thing to navigate in terms of understanding who you are and where you belong, if anywhere.”
This may explain Mehta’s sudden change in emotion near the song’s end, when her vibrant, choreographed dance in traditional Pakistani garb—conflicting with her urban U.S. environment—quickly transitions into a moment of still introspection. “The struggle for identity is almost a guarantee for any first-generation American, but when we present those struggles with pride, it becomes a lot easier to see that we’re not alone in facing them; that these feelings are universal. The video’s purpose is not to bring answers, but bring forth the question of identity itself—a common theme throughout the record.”
Oh Uncertainty! is out now—you can order it here. Read on for full tour dates.
November 22nd: Mohawk @ Austin, TX (w/ TC Superstar, Slideshow)
November 23rd: Ruins @ Dallas, TX (w/ Skirts, Kaz Moon)
November 27th: Schubas @ Chicago, IL (w/ Emily Blue, Born Days)
December 5th: Johnny Brenda’s @ Philadelphia, PA (w/ Cool Company, Faucet)
December 6th: Songbyrd @ Washington, DC (w/ Modern Nomad, Mystery Friends)
December 7th: Baby’s All Right @ Brooklyn, NY (w/ Mons Vi, DJ ST THOMAS)
