San Francisco shoe gaze x grunge pop trio chokecherry — comprised of vocalist/guitarist Izzie Clark and bassist/vocalist E. Scarlett Levinson, along with drummer Abri Crocitto — have dropped the incredibly buzzy EP Messy Star, their debut release for Fearless Records. The EP has been grabbing attention from the likes of Alternative Press, Playboy.com, and Bringin’ It Backwards. Get it here.
Now, chokecherry have also shared the epic video for the title track, in which the band pulls back the curtain on some of its unexpected influences.
Often the band’s closing number during their live sets, Messy Star is a thrashing nod to their heavier sound, taking inspiration from artists like Turnstile, Ty Segall, and Mannequin Pussy. The track tells a story of metaphorical demonic possession, and being at the mercy of a mischievous and destructive “shadow self.”
“This song is truly meant to make you dance and lose your mind in the moshpit,” the band states. “Lyrically, the song touches on themes of being at war with yourself (or rather, your shadow self) and peeling back the curtain on the dark parts of the human psyche. The narrator of the track sits in a more fictional role than our other songs, which was fun to explore and build a narrative around — a sort of villain arc, if you will. The nature of the ‘possession’ is open to interpretation, but listeners can relate to its references to addiction, insecurity, and self-destruction. For us, it invokes memories of the sweaty L.A. punk shows that shaped our musical repertoire.”
chokecherry continue, “We wrote this song as a homage to our doom, psych rock, and hardcore influences. This is the earliest chokecherry track that made it to a record. From the track’s inception, it was an odyssey that took different forms from its live performances to its eventual recording for this EP.”
chokecherry have been steadily making noise since meeting on the dating app Hinge. The San Francisco Gate praised chokecherry’s “blend of white-hot shoegaze,” calling it “the modern sound of the California sun vaporizing the San Francisco fog.” Clark and Levinson may not have worked out on the romantic front, but the pair are clearly musical soulmates and it’s a beautiful thing to witness and hear.
MESSY STAR EP TRACK LISTING:
01. No Other Place
02. Afterglow
03. Messy Star
04. I Know You
05. Mirror Mirror