My last apartment was small, but it never stopped us from holding parties for friends and assorted hangers-on. My place now is much bigger, but time has moved on, responsibilities have shifted in weight, and I have realized that, more than simply being uncomfortable, I’m bad at parties. I mention this not just because the new Lina Tullgren single is called, what else, “Bad at Parties,” but the track itself cleverly evokes that sense of unease and solitude that someone can experience, even when among friends or in a crowd.
“Bad at Parties” is the second single off Tullgren’s forthcoming sophomore album Free Cell (out August 23 on Captured Tracks) and its mellow measure shows them at a rarefied artistic plateau that hasn’t budged since Won came out in 2017. The video, fixed by longtime friend and collaborator Ty Ueda, fits the song beautifully, adding an emotional gravity that few can rival. Speaking about the vid, Udea says:
The video is an adaptation of an old studio practice of mine that involved making visual haikus: short films comprised of three simple actions or movements. In this case they were escape, movement and burial of a symbolic object. Nearly every object, action, and place in the video carries a pretty direct and sometimes heavy memory for either Lina, myself, or a part of our partnership. It feels a little tedious to break every bit of it down, but it’s kind of a fun iSpy for anybody who knows the two of us and our career together really well.
Lina Tullgren are playing some shows with Friendship starting tomorrow and a bunch of dates with Frankie Cosmos and Locate S,1 in September (see below). Free Cell can be pre-ordered here and here and is recommended for all good parties, including parties of one.
Live Lina Love:
07.17.19 - Philadelphia, PA - Truck $
07.18.19 - Brooklyn, NY - Arbor Day $
07.19.19 - Ithaca, NY - Sacred Root $
07.20.19 - Rochester, NY - Small World $
07.21.19 - Troy, NY - SMCO $
07.22.19 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s $
08.22.19 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC
09.18.19 - Boston, MA - Royale #
09.19.19 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot #
09.20.19 - Montréal, QC - L’Astral #
09.21.19 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern #
09.22.19 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx #
09.23.19 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall #
09.25.19 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups #
09.26.19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall #
09.27.19 - Washington, DC - Black Cat #
09.28.19 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA #
09.29.19 - New York, NY - Webster Hall #
$ with Friendship
# with Frankie Cosmos and Locate S,1
More about: Lina Tullgren
