New Video: Tuxis Giant - Huey

 

PHOTO BY BEN STAS

The dust is starting to settle on another exciting episode of Glastonbury 2025.  Now I'm not the kind of guy who frequents such big festivals these days, mainly because my legs would cease to work after 6 hours of the first day and I'd want to sleep in an actual bed and have a shower in total privacy - it'll happen to you too at some point. I do however like to watch on the TV and complain about how it's not as good as it was in the old days - you know - when real bands played ..etc etc etc etc etc etc.  

Watching the coverage over the weekend was an interesting experience, as I'm usually catching up with highlights here and there instead of watching them in full. Of course, the big story was the controversy surrounding both Kneecap and Bob Vylan's incendiary sets that caused tabloid furore for similar, yet different reasons. The former's set was left off I Player entirely bringing back thoughts of when the BBC completely censored 'God Save The Queen' by The Sex Pistols in 1977, and there was effectively no Number 1 in the U.K charts that week. Then of course, there was Bob Vylan.

Now much has been written and spoken about their set that beamed live and I'm not sure I can add anything to it of any substantial weight, but I will reiterate that NEITHER Bob Vylan and Kneecap are the issue. Neither are Amyl & The Sniffers. Neither are Lambrini Girls. Neither are Turnstile. Neither are The Libertines. Neither is CMAT. Neither are Wolf Alice. 

None of them are. 

Your distraction techniques and mock outrage won't work.

 We all know the REAL story.

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Back in the real world - where people aren't getting upset about people calling out ethnic cleansing and intensive war crimes - music is being made that has it's own private politics. Tuxis Giant are a band that are new to my radar and they release a new single 'Huey' in support of their forthcoming album You Won't Remember This, out on 15th August via Worry Bead Records. 

The new single from the Boston and New York -based band looks for beauty in the everyday and the inherent value in the mundane aspects of life we often overlook. Experiences that resonate despite their familiarity are the cornerstone of this track's theme: travelling on a bus and waiting for a text back, ordering drinks for someone yet to arrive and finding solace in the emotional release provided by karaoke. Singer Matt O'Connor sings the opening lyrics with a gentle frailty:

Karaoke at our favourite bar/ I wanna sing away my cares

O'Connor was keen to share more about the single and said:

"This is one of the first song's we wrote for the album. When the day-today wears you down, it's the small, simple joys that save you - Narragansett beers at your favourite bar, singing Huey Lewis songs. Crying at karaoke is a little sad, a little funny. But it's that kind of vulnerability that gives us our humanity."

The single is supported by the release of an interactive video, directed and coded by the band's bassist Fenn Macon. The video creates an intimate feel, recreating an Allston bar and city street, inviting the viewer into a world that seems real, but also a half-remembered hazy memory. Watch below.

Macon shares:

"I've loved this song since Matt forst bought it to the band. There's something so beautiful about wanting to share a moment of vulnerability with another person, and I find singing karaoke to be incredibly vulnerable. The juxtaposition of crying whilst singing a Huey Lewis song is perfect, and I wanted the video to carry the feeling of incongruity that comes with the song. The familiarity of the bar and the Allston street also carries the possibility of being surrounded by hospitals and graveyards, reminding us that the whole thing is precarious. Even in comfort, things could fall apart at any second; a phone call from a loved one going through a difficult time or someone from a past life walking into the room could throw your whole night off course."

'Huey' follows on from previous singles 'Last Laugh' and 'Silver Cup' and continues to see them find flakes of gold in the small-scale honesty of their songwriting. 

We can get a handle on/ Anything they put us through sings O'Connor with a sense of both hope and despair in their voice. 

It's a salient reminder that simple, but poignant words often have the most power.

You can follow Tuxis Giant on social media at Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook

As ever, we recommend you buy and stream from their Bandcamp at the link below.