It’s the American Dream: move to Los Angeles with high hopes, scan Craigslist for a little too long, and move away with a trove of songwriting material dealing with the absurdity of the entertainment capital of the world. This is a part of the story behind Leisure World, the new record from Diners, with their latest single “Big Times” encapsulating the “high-hopes” portion of this arc.
Over minimalist guitar and MIDI beats, Tyler Broderick recites what they refer to as “lighthearted” and “naïve” takes on Hollywood dreams. “‘I lived in LA for a brief moment with Aaron from Lauren Records and actually really loved it,” they share. “But as I would scour Craigslist for odd jobs, musician gigs, and medical studies for cash, I saw an abundance of listings targeted at aspiring actors, influencers, and anyone else who was looking for stardom.”
The video for the single places Broderick in front of quickly rolling imagery of iconic LA spots, as they strategize a career in film and TV—something that, again, Broderick has experience in. “The first month that I lived in California, I appeared as a background character on an episode of a TV show I’d never seen called Young Sheldon. It wasn’t a speaking role, but I recorded some guitar for the show and was on screen for two whole seconds. It was fun to peek into how wacky that whole world was. I wrote this song shortly after that!”
Leisure World is out April 24 via Lauren Records—pre-order it here. Young Sheldon airs Thursdays at 6 p.m. PST on CBS.
