“Nostalgia. It’s delicate, but potent.” That was uttered many moons ago buy a confident ad guy in New York City, who went on to tell us that “in Greek, ‘nostalgia’ literally means ‘the pain from an old wound’. It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.”
We think of Don Draper’s iconic words from the Season 1 finale of Mad Men every time we gaze at the social media abyss: Instagram’s explore tab is flooded with AI videos of life in 1986; Facebook is quick to remind us of memories from the past, whether we want to see them or not; and look-backs of classic toys, video games, and long lost ephemera are providing quick bursts of dopamine that illustrate just how fucking miserable we are these days.
Now, technology is having its retro-nostalgia moment, as the artwork for Dirty Brunette’s rousing new single “Sidekick” depicts a low-res search result-like display of 2000s-era phones in the Sidekick and RAZR, all blinged out in bedazzled pink, discarded far too soon for the sadness machines we all grip throughout the day. The visual caught our attention first, the brain aching for some sign of aesthetic comfort. And then very quickly, the song began making us appreciate the now.
We don’t know too much about Dirty Brunette, and we sure hope there are human beings behind it and not some AI prompt. The internet says two dudes named Aaron Taos Steinberg and Adam Korbesmeyer are at the helm, and we might be inclined to trust it for once, because this nostalgic ode to relationships and reconnection through a post-punk rumble, synth-pop beat, and an ethereal alt-pop shine has us looking forward for the first time in a minute.
Soundtrack your scroll with this certifiable jam called “Sidekick” below.
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