F L A U N T

In his newest music video “Steve’s First Bruise” 21-year-old Briston Maroney takes us back to his days of playing house parties in humid basements, when the only stage lights were the sporadic and abrupt flashes from iphones, and the only thing separating him from the chaos of the audience was a mic. The video, directed by Joey Brodnax, begins with the dry and throaty lyrics I want to be eaten alive, and instantly we see the audience moving in on Maroney, iphones raised and swaying like lighters in fists. Soon, audience members drop to the floor, sprawled beneath Maroney, and suddenly begin yanking a long multicolored rope from his mouth: the crowd is unraveling him from the inside out, like tugging too hard on the loose thread of a knit sweater. 

Following his most recent EP Indiana, “Steve’s First Bruise” is the first of his “Miracle Singles” series, created alongside Jim Abbiss. The song itself was penned on the spot during a sound check in London, and the lyrics are cut with a raw helplessness like having hands tied behind your back, but unsure of what the rope is. 

On the song’s conception and lyrics, Maroney explains, “I played the two chords of basically the entire song for like an hour in a parking lot in Washington before the last show of our tour with Liz Cooper, and loved the energy but couldn’t crack the code of lyrics. We were tracking another song with Jim [Abbiss] in London that wasn’t going well, and I just started playing that guitar part in between takes and we ended up cranking it out in like 6 hours. It was an awesome and new experience for me to move so quickly!”

Below check out the premiere of “Steve’s First Bruise,” and tour dates below with Cold War Kids! 

9/17 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

9/21 – Indianapolis, IN – Holler On The Hill Festival

10/5 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival

10/8 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Jones Assembly (w/ Cold War Kids)

10/9 – Dallas, TX – The Rustic (w/ Cold War Kids)

10/ 10 – Houston, TX – The Rustic (w/ Cold War Kids)

10/11 – San Antonio, TX – The Rustic (w/ Cold War Kids)

10/12 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival

10/14 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf (w/ Cold War Kids)

10/15 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar

10/16 – San Diego, CA – Voodoo Room @ House of Blues San Diego

10/19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge

10/20 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room

10/24 – Bristol, UK – Rough Trade

10/25 – Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute

10/26 – Glasgow, UK – The Hug and Pint

10/27 – Leeds, UK – Brudnell Social Club

10/28 – London, UK – The Lexington

10/30 – Brighton, UK – The Hope and Ruin

11/1 – Paris, FR – Pitchfork Festival

11/2 – Den Haag, NE – Crossing Border Festival

11/3 – Brussels, BE – Botanique / Witloof Bar

11/5 – Hamburg, DE – Molotow Sky Bar

11/6 – Berlin, DE – Badehaus Berlin

11/10 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill

11/12 – Portland, OR – Holocene

11/13 – Seattle, WA – Barboza

11/15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court

11/16 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake Lounge

11/18 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry

11/20 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern

11/21 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern

11/23 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In