One of the funny things about being human is that you can fall deeper in love with the idea of someone than the actual person. It’s why crushes or fangirling is important to getting us through banal routines—romantic fantasies playing in our head like a Sunday matinee. The only trouble is when those fantasies conflict with heartbreaking realities. On their latest single “Smithereens,” Brooklyn-based duo Boyish pinpoint that dreamy, destructive tendency.
“Smithereens” is a combination of softly distorted guitars from Claire Altendahl and melancholic vocals from India Shore. The single was written about a friend whose broken heart still longed and left the light on for the perpetrator who busted it. “And you waste my time / Even when you’re not around / I still talk about you,” goes one line of the chorus.
“We wanted to write something with a similar groove of ‘Swingin Party’ by The Replacements, so we started with a drum groove and then a chord progression and then the melody just flew out,” the duo explains. “We shot the video in LA with Axel Kabundji, who was so energetic and amazing on set. The general video concept was about being invisible to the people around you, so we filmed it in a house full of people that would never notice us there. It’s a metaphor for not being appreciated or recognize, but then having fun with it. We were very lucky that so many of our best friends pulled up to be in the video, including other artists like Ella Jane, Marinelli and Michael Incognito.”
Watch the video below.
