Anyone with a disastrous Tinder hook-up will undertsand Cassowary's dramatic and somewhat tongue-in-cheek new video. Over jazz-funk saxophone and an airy R&B beat, the LA-based artist vents his frustrations with plush vocals and a freewheeling style. Cassowary, who contributed to Earl Sweatshirt's 2015 album I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside, juxtaposes the laidback tone of "Belt Notch!" with a Hollywood-style video in which the high stakes of the dating world are brought into focus through the eyes of a woman taking drastic action.
Speaking to The FADER via email, Cassowary said: "I wrote the song while reentering the dating scene after a relationship. 'Belt Notch' is about wanting more from a one night stand, and looking for love in the wrong places, how two people can hook up and walk away feeling differently. The notion that you’re marked as a trophy is a common one in communities dominated by heartless dating apps and surface level interactions.I felt that the Wild West backdrop and femme fatale lead of the video would represent this “quick draw” “high noon” situations that I was going through at the time. My villain, who is seen with many hand-made notches on her belt, takes the belt notch saying to another level be seemingly making a notch for each kill. She is loosely inspired by Kissin' Kate Barlow from Holes by Louis Sachar."
Cassowary's self-titled debut, which also features previous single "She Funked Me," is out on April 24 and is available to pre-order.
Thumbnail image via Kristy Benjamin.